still pictures not the same on tv as in program

brucefl · Post by **brucefl** » Wed May 10, 2006 5:17 pm

I am doing several still pictures in vs9, when I create a dvd some of the picture are not squared up the way as in the preview on the computer?
Sometimes like on a persons head it may be cut off a little same on the bottom?
Everthing seems fine on showing it on the computer. I realize the horz lines or whatever are different in tv, but is there some adjustment in VS9 that can help with this?
thanks
Bruce

Post by **Ken Berry** » Wed May 10, 2006 10:20 pm

Playback on a computer monitor is not the same as playback on a TV. Essentially, any DVD you produce for showing on a TV will lose a proportion of the image around the edges during playback. The amount will vary depending on the type of TV, but generally you can expect to lose around 10% or maybe more. When you add titles to your project using Video Studio, you may recall seeing two concentric yellow boxes which appear around the edge of the preview screen. The inner box marks the limits of where you should place your title to be sure it will display fully in the final DVD and not go to the very edges. The outer circle marks the absolute limits of what is called the safe area, and is meant to correspond to the limits of all that you will be able to see on a TV screen. I think Video Studio sets this to roughly 15% of the entire screen by default.

So in future, you need to use photos or videos which have plenty of space around the central feature. And even when you are taking the photo or video in the first place, you should shoot accordingly to make sure, say, a person or a building does not take up the entire frame. Otherwise, you will find that on playback on TV, the top or bottom (and sides?) of the person or building will simply not be there.

DVDDoug · Post by **DVDDoug** » Wed May 10, 2006 10:38 pm

Something else you can do is create a "frame" around the picture, using photo/image editing software:

Create a new blank image with the same dimensions.

Fill the image with a solid color.

Paste the picture on top of the solid background.

Reduce the size of the "top-layer" picture about 10%, so that the solid-color background becomes a frame around the image.

The actual picture will be inside the safe-area, and the "frame" will occupy the unsafe margins.