My Brain is Melting

D

dman100a

Member
I'm on FCP HD

For some reason I can't export my footage as anamorphic. The exported video looks "squeezed". I was just doing it a few days ago I'm not sure what's going on.

The sequence is wide, the files in my browser are wide, I don't know.

I did notice I don't have "anamorphic" checked under capture presets, but I do in the sequence, should I have checked anamorphic in the capture presets? For some reason when they are checked in both then I see it squeezed while editing.
Thanks for any help. Luckily I'm just editing random crap in case I have to re capture.
 
Re: My Brain is Melting

When you export your footage you need to specify your actual dimensions. You can do that under "options" on the export window...Change those dimensions and it will stretch out to 16:9 intead of 4:3 sqeezed...
 
Re: My Brain is Melting

Thanks Kyle. I'm not seeing where I can do that. When I try to export an mp4 through Quciktime conversion, I have the options of 320x240, 160x120, or current, and they all produce a squeezed image.
 
Re: My Brain is Melting

Ok, I wouldn't use FCP to export an MP4 because Compressor does a better job compressing your movie. Use compressor and create your own preset and specify the dimensions you need for 16:9 in there.
 
Re: My Brain is Melting

The thing about "anamorphic" 16x9 is that it is squeezed when viewed on a standard 4x3 monitor. This is a good thing because you are preserving as much resolution as possible (as opposed to letterboxing.) If you were to view it on a 16x9 TV, it would fill the screen and look great. When FCP shows you the "unsqueezed" version on your computer monitor - it is just doing this as a courtesy. The original footage is still anamorphically squeezed into 720x480.

If you are creating a DVD with DVDSP, you can compress the anamorphic video into an MPEG2, "as is", at 640x480. The DVD player will automatically either play it full screen 16x9 on a 16x9 TV, or letterbox it to 1.78:1 on a 4x3 TV.

If you would like to create a quicktime movie for a website using Compressor, you should select your sequence, goto FILE/EXPORT/USING COMPRESSOR. Compressor will open with the sequence cued.

Let's assume you would like to make an MP4 that is 480 pixels wide:
Click the PRESETS button, and then open the MPEG-4 24P Source Material folder and select "MPEG-4 Improved 24P for CD" preset. Click on the "Geometry" tab and confirm that the "Constrain to display aspect" is set to 16x9. Pixel aspect should be square, not DV (because computer monitor pixels are square) The final dimensions should read 480x270.
Other possible 1.78:1 dimensions are 160x90, 320x180, 640x360, 720x405.

When you are finished, you can close the presets window, and it will ask you to save the setting. Now just select the "MPEG-4 Improved 24P for CD" setting in the queue window, and compress.

Your MP4 will be 24fps, 480x270 unsqueezed 1.78:1
 
Re: My Brain is Melting

Cool thanks a lot Kyle, Tim. Looks good.

So is there no other way to get a 16 x 9 picture except using compression? Also, when and why would I check off "anamorphic" under fcp-preferences-audio/video-capture presets?
 
Re: My Brain is Melting

[quote author=dman100a link=board=FCP;num=1088487091;start=0#5 date=06/29/04 at 15:32:45]So is there no other way to get a 16 x 9 picture except using compression? Also, when and why would I check off "anamorphic" under fcp-preferences-audio/video-capture presets?
[/quote]
There are numerous ways to create a Quicktime - I suggested using compressor because it does Variable Bit Rate (VBR) compression very well.   The other options generally only do Constant Bit Rate (CBR.)
You can use Quicktime Pro, or just do it straight from FCP using EXPORT/USING QUICKTIME CONVERSION.   Just click the options button, and then click SIZE and set the appropriate pixel dimensions for 1.78:1.   For example, 160x90, 320x180, 480x270, 640x360, or 720x405.  

To answer your second question, checking off "anamorphic" in the bin lets FCP know that the clip is squeezed, and not flat.   That way if you  edit it into a 4x3 sequence, it will automatically be letterboxed inside the 4x3.   The reverse situation is that a non-anamorphic clip edited into an anamorphic sequence, would have black on the left and right sides.

If you want to see your 16x9 anamorphic sequence letterboxed on your NTSC monitor, then just make a brand new non-anamorphic sequence, and drag or edit the original sequence into it.   The 16x9 sequence will now be 1.78:1 letterbox within the 4x3 NTSC monitor.    If you have enough processing power, you won't even have to render it.

Tim
 
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