Putting both 4:3 and HD 16:9 on time line

[Don Greening]

The recommended workflow will depend on what kind of picture aspect ratio you want for final output. Is the program going to be 4:3 or 16:9? Standard def or HD? What version of FCP are you using?

– Don

[Suzin Daly]

FCP 6.0.4 final out put – public access and everything is 4:3 stand def

[Don Greening]

OKay. You can drag first 16:9 clip into an SD 4:3 timeline. If the sequence is still empty FCP will ask if you want to change the sequence settings to match the clip settings. Just say no. FCP will automatically letterbox and pillarbox the clip. Double-click the clip in the timeline to load it into the Viewer. Make sure “Image and Wireframe” is active. In the Viewer drag the corner of the clip until the top and bottom of it fills the 4:3 frame. This will create a centre-punch of your widescreen clip.

Hit Cmd-C to copy the clip’s attributes to the clipboard. Drag the rest of your widescreen clips into the sequence, highlight them all and hit Option-V to paste the first clip’s scale attributes onto all the other highlighted 16:9 clips.

Hope this helps speed things up for you.

– Don

[Suzin Daly]

Wow, thanks I will give it a try

[Don Greening]

Let me know how things work out. After you’ve pasted the attributes you can still slide individual widescreen clips from side to side in the timeline to keep important bits in frame.

– Don

[Alessio Gemma]

Hello,
I’ve the same problem… I’ve both SD 4:3 material and HDV 16:9 and my target is a SD 16:9.
I use a SD 16:9 sequence: I drag the SD 4:3 clip in the timeline and then I refuse the changing of sequence setting.. I double-click the clip to open it in the viewer, I upscale the 4:3 clip to reach the 16:9 bounds, obtaining a full widescreen clip.
Now, I copy (CMD-C) the clip attributes (with the Viewer selected), I drag another clip in the sequence, I select it and I paste (ALT-V) the settings copied previously… but it doesn’t work… the clip remains 4:3…
Where I mistake?
Regards,
Alessio

[Don Greening]

[Alessio Gemma] “I select it and I paste (ALT-V) the settings copied previously… but it doesn’t work… the clip remains 4:3… “

When you hit “Option-V” to paste the attributes a window will come up with all the different parameters available for pasting onto your destination clip. In your case, where you want to change the scale and/or motion parameters you need to make sure there’s a check mark next to those attributes before you click OK.

Have a look at Martin Baker’s excellent tutorials:

https://www.digital-heaven.co.uk/podcast/

View his 2 podcasts entitled Pasting Attributes 1 and 2.

– Don

[Alessio Gemma]

Great!
It’s really what I was looking for! 🙂
Thanks Don!
Alessio

[Jared Smith]

I started a project and put my HD footage in the timeline first, then I captured some of my SD footage and drug it into the timeline… of course it was smaller and the sides of the HD footage were playing behind it and able to be seen… So, should I start over and do the SD clips first and then decline the choice to change the preferences when I add the HD footage? Is that the best option?