Help using different aspect ratios in same project

[thiefcity]

I shot almost everything w/ the XL-H1 16:9
and captured dv widescreen.
with the intent on cropping for a 2.35 to 1 ratio.

I shot my make-up FX w/ DVX 4:3


Vegas "says" that the XL footage is
720x480 but this can be true do to the ratio.

I know to crop for 4:3 is about 720x234 (for scope)
however what is it for 16:9 w/ an output of 720x480....
and how do I add footage shot 4:3, do I crop it, first then add it,
or open in vegas with XL footage even though there different ratios?

any advice greatly appreciated
thanks

 

[David Jimerson]

Both widescreen and 4:3 are 720x480. 4:3 has a pixel aspect ratio of .91; 16:9 has a pixel aspect ratio of 1.21.

You don't capture "as" anything -- you just capture; the footage is what it is and Vegas recognizes it for what it is.

You can't crop any footage before adding it to the timeline. Work in a Widescreen project.

The 4:3 crop I use is 720x277.6. This matches the widescreen crop I use, which is 720x369.2.

People may differ as to the EXACT dimensions, but no one's going to take a ruler to their screens.

 

[JohnnyRoy]

You don't capture "as" anything -- you just capture; the footage is what it is and Vegas recognizes it for what it is.

The problem with technology is that it just won't sit still. ;-) Actually, with an HD camera you DO capture "as" different things. If the XLH1 is anything like my Sony Z1U you can capture as HDV, or DV Widescreen, or DV 4:3 with an option to squeeze or crop the image. So thiefcity is right to capture as DV Widescreen.

The 4:3 crop I use is 720x277.6. This matches the widescreen crop I use, which is 720x369.2. People may differ as to the EXACT dimensions, but no one's going to take a ruler to their screens.

Actually I've never worried about any of these numbers. I would just drop the 4:3 footage on the timeline, go into Pan/Crop, right-click the image and select Match Output Aspect and you're done. Vegas knows the aspect of the project and will set the 4:3 footage to match that. David it sounds like you are using a custom crop since that doesn't match 16:9 widescreen or 1.85:1 academy aspect.

~jr

 

[David Jimerson]

The problem with technology is that it just won't sit still. ;-) Actually, with an HD camera you DO capture "as" different things. If the XLH1 is anything like my Sony Z1U you can capture as HDV, or DV Widescreen, or DV 4:3 with an option to squeeze or crop the image. So thiefcity is right to capture as DV Widescreen.

Well, yes, if you're referring to the in-camera settings, but there are no widescreen/4:3 settings in VidCap. Just making that clear. (I guess neither post is 100% clear.)

(There IS an aspect ratio setting in the PREVIEW tab of the preferences, but that only affects the preview, not the footage itself.)

Actually I've never worried about any of these numbers. I would just drop the 4:3 footage on the timeline, go into Pan/Crop, right-click the image and select Match Output Aspect and you're done. Vegas knows the aspect of the project and will set the 4:3 footage to match that. David it sounds like you are using a custom crop since that doesn't match 16:9 widescreen or 1.85:1 academy aspect.

Well, yeah -- I'm using a custom crop because he's asking for 2.35:1, which doesn't come as a pre-loaded preset.

 

[JohnnyRoy]

David, Yes I was refering to in-camera settings. I agree that Vidcap has no such settings and just captures what the camera feeds it. Becasue HD cameras do not output DV by default, I just assumed he was talking about in-camera settings since he obviously had to change them to get DV in the first place.

I missed the part about wanting a 2.35:1 crop. You are dead on. ;-)

~jr

 

[thiefcity]

hey david, thnks and all, but I went with a wider crop.
720x344.6 (XL-H1)
720x258.2 (DVX)

I found a similar post with a 2.35 matte, and those were the dimensions
and then I dropped the 4:3 footage in the timeline and just experimented
with cropping til they matched up.