Can anyone give me a thorough run down on using distort to fix aspect ratios?

For example when I import an exported QT file originally imported in FCP as anamorphic I have found I need to cgange the distort setting from 33.3 to 0. If I change it to -33.3 it letterboxes it quite heavily.

Basically the media I'm working with is shot 16:9, imported as anamorphic for playback on PAL with various expot requirments (sometimes to DVD, sometimes 'edit to tape')

I know extensive searching may piece together the answer to this but a compact overview would be really helpful.

Cheers guys

No need to distort. Just check the Anamorphic setting in the Anamorphic column of the FCP browser.

Thanks Dave, yeh I know about that my prob is this:

The original footage was digitised as anamorphic

when i export the sequence containing this footage into a QT movie and THEN re-import it - it is all distorted.

Workflow sounds complicated but it's just how we are doing it, I don't need help there.

Just with why it is importing the second time in the wrong aspect ratio and why changing the distort to '0' from '33.3' fixes the problem.

I guess I'm confused, because I would say the same thing as Dave. When you say "The original footage was digitised as anamorphic" you have to realize that there is really no such thing as "digitizing as anamorphic." That is just a flag which tells FCP what size to display the video. Anamorphic 16:9 and regular 4:3 are the same thing as far as Quicktime is concerned: they're both 720x480.

When you export, what is the size of the Quicktime image? Is it 720x480 or something else? If it is 720x480 then checking the anamorphic flag should make it behave properly in FCP.