comp setting for 16x9 DVD

[astroanalyst]

I shot some DVX 100 stuff on a green screen. I keyed it in after effects using keylight from the foundry...

If I want to create a dvd that will fill a widescreen tv completely should I use the 'widescreen' comp setting inside after effects? Does that take a 720 pixel image and stretch it wide?...


-astro

[Gohanto]

Yes. 720 x 480 can be either 4:3 or 16:9. It's just a question of what shape the pixels are.

[astroanalyst]

I notice that when I bring in the footage that I shot on my dvx into the 'widescreen' comp it looks a little squeezed. I assume that it will look normal when played on 16x9 screen...

however when I add motion graphics in this same comp will the graphics look stretched?

[Matt Grunau]

They shouldn't look stretched if you set their pixel aspect ratio up properly. If you are creating you graphics in Photoshop, or something outside of AE, make sure they are set to the Widescreen pixe aspect. they are suqare by default, and that will make them look stretched.

If you are creating effectic, shapes, type and whatnot inside AE, and you are doing so inside your already set up widescreen composition, they should be fine. If you are bringing them in from another composition, and that composition was not set up for widresreen, again they will be stretched.

It's all about making sure you element attributes match.

[astroanalyst]

Thanks for the info guys..

One last question...

Since I already shot the greenscreen footage in 'DV' using the DVX, is there any advantage to compositing the rest of the project in D1? ... instead of NTSC DV?

[rightfrog]

The best way to create a 16x9 final image is to create a 960x540, square pixel comp. This way you can work in true square pixels in AE. Scale your footage up to fit the comp size (should be 111%).

Then, when you go to render, use the "Stretch" feature in the Output Module to make the image 720x486 and use the "Crop" feature to take 3 pixels from the top and 3 from the bottom, leaving you a 720x480 image.

[astroanalyst]

Wow how good is right frog's demo reel.... !!

Ok another question ... I imagine the goal is always to have the 720x480 image ... So from what I understand there are square pixels and non square pixels that can both make up that 720x480 format.

The square ones are used when you plan to play the video on a 16x9 screen... is that correct? .... and that is the 'widescreen' setting inside AE.

So what happens if you play it on a 4x3 screen?.... I assume it looks slightly 'pinched' ???... just as it looks when you play a 'widescreen' comp back in a media player.

.... and the BEST way to make the comp is to start with a 960x540 then stretch down the trim as expained by rightfrog.

If the above is correct then I got it... thanks

[rightfrog]

Ok another question ... I imagine the goal is always to have the 720x480 image ... So from what I understand there are square pixels and non square pixels that can both make up that 720x480 format.

The square ones are used when you plan to play the video on a 16x9 screen... is that correct? .... and that is the 'widescreen' setting inside AE.

So what happens if you play it on a 4x3 screen?.... I assume it looks slightly 'pinched' ???... just as it looks when you play a 'widescreen' comp back in a media player.


Well, no...a 720x480 image is never square pixels. But DV pixels are a different size than DV Widescreen pixels. If you look at your comp settings window, you'll see that in the list of different pixel sizes it says DV (0.9) and Widescreen (1.2)...what that means is that when the image is compressed to make the rectangular pixels square again, it compresses the DV pixels to 0.9 of their original size horizontally and the widescreen pixels to 1.2 of their original size, horizontally...

Does that make sense?

And as for laying it back on a 4x3 screen, almost all recent production monitors have a 16x9 setting that squishes the image to make it 16x9 on a 4x3 screen. Otherwise, yes it will look pinched.

And thanks, glad you liked the reel :)

[ChuckS]

Sorry for hyjacking the thread, rightfrog that is a very nice reel. Good luck in New York, let us know how it is going.

[rightfrog]

Thanks Chuck...always nice to hear a compliment...

NYC is amazing, I love it here...and there's a lot of work going around which is always good.

[astroanalyst]

Hmmm ... I don't get it quite yet...

but I'm going to do more reading on the topic before I waste everyone's time.

thanks again..

-astro