Pan changes aspect ratio in VS 2018

[Ken Berry]

I suspect it may be a codec/format problem in VS 2018. HDV is these days an "old" format and they probably didn't bother doing anything in the coding of the new versions which affected it...

[Nick3]

Ken and Trevor -- Sorry I haven't kept up with your questions; been away from the shop for a couple of days. When we download the footage from the Canon XA10, it registers on our our computer as an MTS file. It continues to register as an MTS file when we import it into VS 2018. We were shooting in the standard quality mode (SP), but we intend to move that up to FXP for the next video product. To be embarrassingly honest, we were't aware of the different quality choices until very recently. SP -- the factory setting -- has worked well for us since we bought the camera. We're craftsmen-turned-videographers who produce DVD-based owners and maintenance manuals. If our table saw had an FXP setting, we would have known to look for it in our camera. We'll let you know if we encounter these same problems with MTS/FXP footage.

As far as using the Canon software to download the raw footage, we can't. Since we upgraded to Windows 10, the software no longer senses the camera. We have installed a newer version of the software that is supposedly compatible with Win10, but we get the same error. As we said, it's a PIA. The only option open to us is an unadorned drag-&-drop.

We sometimes use a Canon RX800 as a second camera to film close-ups for cut-aways. That particular camera delivers high definition footage in an MP4 format -- again, we do a D&D from camera to computer. I recently took some raw MP4 footage from the RX800 and applied a P&Z in VS 2018. No problems, both the pan and the zoom worked fine; the crops matched in the P&Z preview pane, the editing preview pane, and the rendered video. Every experiment we've done so far indicates that VS 2018 has problems filtering MTS files, specifically those shot in the SP quality mode. We rarely use filters other than P&Z, except for some occasional animation of titles and arrows. Your input makes me wonder if we shouldn't test a sample of filters with MTS/SP footage to see how far this problem extends.

[Davidk]

I've been watching this thread with some interest. And it seems to me that several basic things might have been overlooked in VS when adressing the problem reported:
1. which P&Z filter are you using? There are 2 in previous versions and with VS 2018 another variety with a few extra features has been added to the timeline tool bar, and there have been bug reports about this one
2. In the P&Z version I'm used to using, the configure panel has a built in 'zoom' between the 1st keyframe and the last (in the Fx P&Z, 1st keyframe is 112% and the last keyframe is 146%).
So, if you a) don't change the zoom ratio or b) have changed the 2nd/last keyframe to a higher number, and don't re-locate the centre of the 2nd keyframe (the cross-hair icon in the LH pane - click and drag to locate it) then it's real easy to crop the result towards the end of the clip. Changing the zoom ratio down or just re-locate the centre of the zoom area, perhaps both, will get rid of any cropping induced by the filter.
Have you checked this??

[lata]

Hi Nick
As far as I can see the issue is using anamorphic video 1440 x 1080.
When we suggested using the Canon software to upload the clips we were aware that would change the MTS to m2ts I think, and was hoping it would correct the anamorphic effect.
However I created 1440 video using Video Studio and still had the problem, so that rules out your transfer method. Continue to use D&D
Record use FXP
Yes I would opt for a video 1920 x 1080 at least that is true 16:9 so avoids the anamorphic effect.
As for the other camera I would also use 1920 x 1080 but compare the frame rates so that both cameras are using the same fps.

And yes it does appear to be a 2018 problem with the updated P& Z feature.
I do not get this issue using X10 or earlier programs.

David
if you do not have a 1440 x 1080 video create your own using Video Studio
Then try applying Pan & Zoom
I also had problems using FX Video Pan & Zoom but needs more tests to confirm that.

Customize Motion seems to work ok although not a true "zoom in"