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Pixel Aspect Ratio Question
So, I’ve read the tutorial on Square vs. Rectangular pixels, but I still have a question… I am working on a cartoon where the characters are drawn in Illustrator and the backgrounds are done in Photoshop. I am not sure how I should set up my comps.
This is the way I understand it… please correct me if I am wrong. The animation will be broadcast on TV, so eventually it needs to be 0.9 pixel aspect ratio, right? But since I am using Illustrator files, I need to work in square pixels. I should work in 720 x 540 square pixels then fit that comp into a 720 x 486 0.9 pixel comp for rendering. Is that right?
We have been working in all DV pixels, but the Illustrator files are giving me fits (especially distorting when they are rotated)… will this solution help clean things up?
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1 Reply
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[tastypiesinc] “This is the way I understand it… please correct me if I am wrong. The animation will be broadcast on TV, so eventually it needs to be 0.9 pixel aspect ratio, right? But since I am using Illustrator files, I need to work in square pixels. I should work in 720 x 540 square pixels then fit that comp into a 720 x 486 0.9 pixel comp for rendering. Is that right?”
That is completely correct. But there’s an Illustrator specific issue you need to be aware of. Unlike most other applications, Illustrator takes the work area mostly more as a reference than as a fixed target. Because of this, if you place elements outside the work area, that will force the resulting AE composition to be larger than your original size (to acomodate the elements outside the original AI area). The opposite is true if your elements don’t fill the work area: the comp size will be reduced to the used area.
You can solve this by creating a 720×540 tranparent rectangle and making sure it’s perfectly aligned with the work area. Then select the rectangle and create Crop marks (you know, those used for cropping printed work). AE will interpret the crop area as the Composition boundaries. It’s an AI > AE convention.
Hope this helps.Adolfo Rozenfeld
Buenos Aires – Argentina
https://www.adolforozenfeld.com
adolfo@adolforozenfeld.com
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