Black bars on the sides

[Ranev]

Hi! I'm new to the forum and to video editing, but I've done a lot of reading and I can't seem to find a solution for this.
Using VideoStudio X3. I import a MPEG2 file with res 720x480. Problem is the actual size of the video is 640x480 and the rest is two black bars on the sides. This is the way the source produces the files and I have no control over that. I want to export the project in 640x480, but no matter what I do I end up with keeping the black bars and distorting the image. Tried using the crop effect with no success.

The only workaround I have found is using another program - Magix or Pinnacle - to improt the file and save it. In the preview window both Pinnacle and Magix display just the actual video (640x480), although the source file is 720x480. Corel for some reason keeps the black bars.

So how do I do the same using VideoStudio? I hate using 2 separate programs, my PC is too slow anyway and importing and converting long video files takes about a day.

Please help!

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi

Can you tell us if the black bars are part of the original video file.
Then right click the clip and select properties, what are they?
From preferences change the background colour from black, this will allow you to view the preview screen and identify the actual video.


Go to Settings-- Project Properties, Edit, change the aspect ratio to 4:3

Select the clip in the timeline, open the “options panel” then choose the attributes tab.
Select “distort”, will allow you to resize the frame. (if needed)

What are you intending to make, a DVD or video for the internet.
What video type are you intending to make, Mpeg2, Mov etc.

[Ranev]

Thanks for the reply! I have tried changing the background before - the black bars ARE part of the original video file.
The distort video thing worked! I tried playing with it before, but I was doing it wrong. As soon as I click distort the markers select the actual video and that's all I have to do. My mistake was trying to move the markers...

Here is what I'm doing: I have a MPEG2 avi file, 720x480 with the black bars on the sides as part of the video. I want to edit the video and export a 640x480 WMV file without losing quality or stretching the picture.
The file properties of the file are the following (not sure how to paste):

Frame width 720
Frame height 480
Data rate 5000kbps
Total bitrate 5256kbps
Frame rate 29 frames/second

Only thing left to figure out is which WMV profile should I use. I want to keep the highest possible quality, but all those stuff about bit rates are far beyond my understanding, so I'm using something called Ulead_Neptune_BestQuality. It looks ok...

Thank you so much! That was really helpful, I was trying to solve this for a very long time.

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi

1 / Choose the Distort option
2 / From the preview screen, drag the video diagonally to reveal the corner trim handle. Drag the corner (Yellow) will resize in proportion.
3 / Right click the preview screen and select Anchor-Center-Center

Repeat if you still see black border.
You may loose some detail top and bottom

Render to WMV best Neptune will keep the 4:3 ratio.

If you want HD quality then your original video needs resizing to widescreen 16:9,
Again loosing more detail top and bottom. Your original doesn’t really lend itself to HD.

[Shohreh]

Hello,

I'm using X8 and having the same problem.

For some reason, VS adds black borders in the output:


Per ffmpeg, here's how the original video is encoded:

Code: Select all

Input #0, matroska,webm, from 'input.mkv':
  Metadata:
    ENCODER         : Lavf57.71.100
  Duration: 00:23:55.84, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 9229 kb/s
    Stream #0:0: Video: mpeg2video (Main), yuv420p(tv, top first), 720x576 [SAR64:45 DAR 16:9], SAR 1:1 DAR 5:4, 25 fps, 25 tbr, 1k tbn, 50 tbc (default)
    Metadata:
      DURATION        : 00:23:55.840000000
    Stream #0:1(unknown): Audio: ac3, 48000 Hz, 5.1(side), fltp, 448 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      DURATION        : 00:23:55.816000000

What could I try to prevent VS from adding those borders?

Thank you.

[lata]

Hi
Please check your project properties that they are using 16:9, from the image I would think yes.

Either the actual video has black bars within the video or the program is reading the video as 4:3 and not 16:9
Go to Preferences F6 set the background color to any but black.
If the black bars change colour then VS sees the video as 4:3.
Double click the clip to open the Options panel – Attributes tab – Distort clip
The frame will now show the resize handles around the video not the bars.
Right click the preview screen for Fit to Screen

If the Black bars are part of the video you can now manually resize the frame, dragging the sides.
First move the entire frame to the right, then drag the left edge, left
Right click the screen for Anchor Center – Center
Repeat till you have removed the black bars.

[Shohreh]

Thank you.

If the black bars change colour then VS sees the video as 4:3.

It does change.

Double click the clip to open the Options panel – Attributes tab – Distort clip

Where should I click?

If I double-click on the picture in the upper left hand part (Preview?), nothing happens. I can't find an Options section in the menu.

--
Edit: Found it.

It's the part at the bottom.

There's a small problem left: I forgot to say the video consists in multiple parts, with a JPG before and after the video. Can I apply the same settings to three parts?

--
Edit:
Should I make sure each part of the clip fits within the non-dotted line?

[lata]

Hi

Right Click the video within the dotted lines and choose Fit to Screen
Your Jpeg Images should be ok

[Shohreh]

Thanks. I had to change the size of the pictures before and the after the video, but it's OK now.

I surprised, though, that CVS was unable to grab the size of the video, considering it's in MKV, which is supported:



Maybe it's the JPEG that threw it off.

Thank you.

[lata]

The details you showed
720x576 [SAR64:45 DAR 16:9], SAR 1:1 DAR 5:4, 25 fps, 25 tbr
Seem to indicate a ratio of 16:9 and 5:4,
Viewing the image shows as 5:4 with people long and thin, should be 16:9 to put on a few pounds.
I think the program did not identify the aspect correctly, can be an issue with anamorphic video.

The jpeg images should have been ok but would have a border if not using 16:9 ratio.
A common ratio for still images being 4:3, 2:1

Resizing the video simple showed it in its correct proportion, resizing the image will distort the original?

[Shohreh]

Thanks for the infos.

Sometimes, I would first open the original file from the camcorder in AviDemux to only keep the part I would work later in Corel Video Studio (CVS), starting and ending on keyframes so AviDemux would just copy instead of re-encoding. That way, I'd have a smaller file to open in CVS.

I tried the following formats when exporting from AviDemux, with the following results when exporting from CVS X8:

• MKV : left/right black borders
• MP4 (v2) : AviDemux doesn't support copying : "Only MP4Video, H264, and H265 supported for video"
• MPEG PS : CVS X8 doesn't support this format.
• MPEG TS: OK!

FWIW, this is what the original file from the camcorder looks like:

Code: Select all

Input #0, mpeg, from 'full.mpeg':
  Duration: 02:09:24.48, start: 0.226767, bitrate: 9450 kb/s
    Stream #0:0[0x80]: Audio: ac3, 48000 Hz, 5.1(side), fltp, 448 kb/s
    Stream #0:1[0x1e0]: Video: mpeg2video (Main), yuv420p(tv, top first), 720x576 [SAR 64:45 DAR 16:9], 25 fps, 25 tbr, 90k tbn, 50 tbc

[lata]

Hi

I assume if you used the original Mpeg2 without using AviDemux that the file imports as ok
And if you have Show Messages selected via Preferences that using the Mpeg2 in a new project will prompt you to match the Project Properties.

From the Mpeg2 details I guess the file size to be approx. 10Gb for the 2 hour+ video

A little confused with the properties you have provided, at first you mentioned 720 x 480 which is NTSC, then the green text shows the video as Pal.
That I assume are the properties of the original video file.
Using a converter to reduce the files sizes will impact on quality? But take care that you choose the correct settings.
Personally I would use the original file and not use the converter.

[Shohreh]

Thanks for the infos.

The above output ("full.mpeg") is the original, 10GB file.

When loading it directly in CVS and exporting it as…

Code: Select all

MPEG-4 Files
24 bits, 720 x 480, 25 fps
Frame-based
H.264 High Profile Video: 2500 Kbps, 16:9
48000 Hz, 16 Bit, Stereo
MPEG AAC Audio: 256 Kbps

… no black bars are added on the left/right.

Using the same settings, if I add JPGs before and after the video clip that I used originally and have a different size (eg. height = 576) than the output format: OK.

Besides, loading a 10GB file in CVS isn't significantly slower than loading smaller files.

Bottom line: I won't bother with AviDemux anymore.

Thank you everyone.

[canuck]

What do you want to do with the final video? If for a DVD, the 2hr+ video will never fit on a standard DVD since a DVD can only hold 60 minutes without some Heavy compression and a resulting loss of quality

You keep on mixing 720x480 (NTSC) and 720x576 (PAL) sizes? Which do you want to output?

[Shermonb]

I'm having a issue similar to this. But i tried all these steps and the black bars arent going anywhere. The video can be stretched and it shows that it is but its hiding behind the black bars on the side. I'v recorded in 16:9. Its 1920 x 1080. So i tried 4:3 as well and it looks awful that way. Am I missing something?