VSPro-x4. questions re DV Type-1/2 & Aspect ratio

[skier-hughes]

Simplisticly, if your camcorder shoots in 4.3, you can set it to shoot in 16.9 style, but it isn't true 16.9, it is anamorphic and is a way of pretending your 4.3 is 16.9.
You can achieve it in post, so while editing you crop the 4.3 video to 16.9 size.
Early camcorders shot in anamorphic, but all newer ones will shoot in true 16.9, they have 16.9 sized chips to record the video, whereas early versions sometimes only used a 16.9 section of this chip.

[erdna]

Carroll
I understand that you want to get 16:9 in YT. Your 4:3 video with the black bars in YT can look as if evrything looks smaller than it should be, Then it is anamorphic, and forcing it to 16:9 in YT is OK. If your 4:3 image looks nomal then everything will look broaden in a forced 16:9 YT mode. If you then want a good looking video you need to clip top and/or bottom .

[Carroll]

Simplisticly, if your camcorder shoots in 4.3, you can set it to shoot in 16.9 style, but it isn't true 16.9, it is anamorphic and is a way of pretending your 4.3 is 16.9.
You can achieve it in post, so while editing you crop the 4.3 video to 16.9 size.
Early camcorders shot in anamorphic, but all newer ones will shoot in true 16.9, they have 16.9 sized chips to record the video, whereas early versions sometimes only used a 16.9 section of this chip.

Graham. The camcorder is 5 years old and it's manual addresses shooting in 16:9 in the menu. It is called 'wide select' so that would be the "pretend" 16:9. Now, finding it in the menu, has not gone well. I could solve this by buying a new camera but, that would require having extra money.
Carroll

[Carroll]

Carroll
I understand that you want to get 16:9 in YT. Your 4:3 video with the black bars in YT can look as if evrything looks smaller than it should be, Then it is anamorphic, and forcing it to 16:9 in YT is OK. If your 4:3 image looks nomal then everything will look broaden in a forced 16:9 YT mode. If you then want a good looking video you need to clip top and/or bottom .

erdna. Getting a 16:9 video on YT is my goal. There was one video that I uploaded that was in the 16:9 ratio (why I don't know) and the diesel engines were long and lean. Looked terrible. My 4:3 videos look fairly good with the black bars but, not the way I want to see them.

skier-hughes mentioned cropping too. So is there a formula for that or do you just keep cropping till you get it right? Do I have to crop my overlays (PIP) also? I wouldn't have to crop my titles and captions would I? It'd just be a matter of repositioning them?
Carroll

[lata]

Hi Carroll

We dont seem to be making any progress in creating your movie???????????

We really need to identify whether your DV-Avi video file is true widescreen or a pretend one.

Some cameras place a black band top and bottom to simulate the widescreen shape.

Can you take a screen shot of the video file, taking this in Clip mode will create an image of the actual video file.

How
Start a new project.
Insert an original video into the timeline top track.
With the video selected, the word clip adjacent to the play button will be selected.
Choose Edit Menu(Top Left)--Take a Snapshot

An image of the frame will be saved to the hard drive, to your working folder.
A thumbnail will be placed in the library.

Can you attach the image to your next post, if not please e-mail the image to me.
----------------------------
Otherwise can you make a small sample available for us to test.
The sample has to be the original, just after capture.
Some users have used 4Shared to upload samples.

[Carroll]

As requested

[skier-hughes]

What is the make and model of your camcorder?
It does sound like it is pretend 16.9 to me.

[lata]

Hi Carroll

Thanks for the image, it confirms at least to me that your video is standard DV-Avi using 4:3 aspect ratio.

If you change the aspect ratio to 16:9 you will loose some detail top and bottom of the video as image below

OK
Try this

1 / Using Video Studio X4 Start a new project
2 / Press F6
3 / Tick--Show messages when inserting first clip--click OK
4 / Add one of your DV-Avi clips to the timeline
5 / A window will show requesting you match the properties--please select "yes"
6 / Press Alt + Enter keys--this should open the Project Properties
7 / Press Edit--Select General Tab
8 / Change the display aspect ratio to use 16:9.---press OK, ok..ok
9 / Select the clip in the timeline
10 / Open the Options Panel by clicking the word Options lower right
11 / Choose the Attributes Tab
12 / Tick Distort--The preview screen will show the yellow trim handles
13 / Right click the preview screen and select "Fit To Screen"
14 / Right Click the screen and select "Keep aspect Ratio"
15 / the preview screen will show as the image i provided above.
16 / File - Save as--give the project a name.
At this point you may wish to add Titles or do further edits, but for this test just continue
17 / Share Create Video File--Same as Project Properties--This will create a new video file using widescreen 16:9 ratio.


The video is now using 16:9 aspect ratio, it is a DV - Avi and needs converting to your chosen format for upload to you tube.
I would suggest using :-

MPEG-4 Files
24 bits, 1280 x 720, 29.97 fps
Frame-based
H.264 Main Profile Video: 5000 Kbps
44100 Hz, 16 Bit, Stereo
MPEG AAC Audio: 128 Kbps

Share Upload to web-Youtube HD will do this for you however there is a limit on the length that can be created, you may have to use Make Movie Templates Manager to create your own template.

[Carroll]

What is the make and model of your camcorder?
It does sound like it is pretend 16.9 to me.

Hi Graham

I hate to keep apologizing for being late to get back to you and the others. Getting notified of replies or action on this thread is very intermittent and ultimately embarrassing.

Anyway, I have a Sony Handycam DCR-HC28. I believe it is pretend 16:9. When I finally found the right screen and then menu I changed it to wide select and it went long and narrow and 16:9 was showing at the bottom of the screen. I took a short vid and replayed it and it was long and narrow and had a black strip top and bottom of the screen. When I changed from wide select to letter box the screen returned to full size.

[Carroll]

Hi Carroll

Thanks for the image, it confirms at least to me that your video is standard DV-Avi using 4:3 aspect ratio.

If you change the aspect ratio to 16:9 you will loose some detail top and bottom of the video as image below

uvs120509-005.JPG

OK
Try this.....................

Hi Trevor

Just checked in to see if any replies had come in. See my first paragraph in my reply to Graham please. I will do as you suggest and will get back to you.
Carroll

[Carroll]

Trevor

Here is the link to the trial you suggested set to the settings listed too.
Carroll

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBJ_9OZmcYY

[lata]

Hi Carroll

The Youtube link is tagged as Private and as such only you can view, change the viewing options to Public, you may have to post another link.

Post Notifications, we are aware of some problems with auto mails, however Admin are forwarding any problem mails, can you check your mail spam folders for the originals and mark them as not spam.
--------------------------------
When you access the board there is a link at the top marked "View your Posts"
this will list all your personal posts in order.

I will be away for a few days so cannot reply till Thursday

[Carroll]

Hi Carroll

The Youtube link is tagged as Private and as such only you can view, change the viewing options to Public, you may have to post another link.

Post Notifications, we are aware of some problems with auto mails, however Admin are forwarding any problem mails, can you check your mail spam folders for the originals and mark them as not spam.
--------------------------------
When you access the board there is a link at the top marked "View your Posts"
this will list all your personal posts in order.

I will be away for a few days so cannot reply till Thursday

So much to learn. So little time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBJ_9OZmcYY
Carroll

[lata]

Hi Carroll

The video looks fine to me, its looking good, I assume you happy with the results.

If you wish to burn a dvd then you have to convert the DV-Avi to Mpeg2.
You will use either Custom or Make Movie Templates Manager to create a template.

The other option is to edit the project properties to use Mpeg2.
Then Share-Create Video File - Same as project properties.

Anyhow, well done.......

[Carroll]

Hi Carroll

The video looks fine to me, its looking good, I assume you happy with the results.

If you wish to burn a dvd then you have to convert the DV-Avi to Mpeg2.
You will use either Custom or Make Movie Templates Manager to create a template.

The other option is to edit the project properties to use Mpeg2.
Then Share-Create Video File - Same as project properties.

Anyhow, well done.......

Thank you Trevor

Well I couldn't see how it would look good stretched out but it does. Before this I had tried to stretch them out but that was while I was working on them and I produced them using the mpg optimizer. They were long and lean and no man's dream. My first video I uploaded was in .avi format and it took forever and a day to get it up. I talked to another more experienced uploader and he suggesteted to go the .mpg route which, I have done. Some ended up being .mp4, why, I can't remember, and the rest, .mpg.

Eventually I want to put them on a DVD just to save room on my hard drive. I have 3 of them and C and E have about 3 Gb left between them.

I still haven't really figured out the movie template thing yet nor have I been able to figure out how to cut my clips up so just the piece I want is a stand alone piece in the time line and what I trimmed gets saved separately.

One off thread question. Does VS have a cache? The one time that I was able to suscessfully create a stand alone clip I've lost the parts that I had cut it out of and now I need them but, I can't find it in any of my files. I tried using VS Help but nothing came up (the tape was taped over).

Carroll