I Need Help Asap at DVinfo.net

Nevin Aragam · April 25th, 2005, 07:44 PM

I am trying to nest a 16:9 sequence into a 4:3 sequence, but the preset keeps defaulting back to anamorphic everytime i change it. So my 16:9 stuff is stretched out on a 4:3 screen but its set to anamorphic.
The nesting has been working until now when i need it the most.
Does anyone have any clue how to fix this?
Thanks,
Nevin

Boyd Ostroff · April 25th, 2005, 09:14 PM

Not completely sure what you're asking, but I'll take a stab at it....

I assume you want to drop an anamorphic sequence into a 4:3 sequence such that the 16:9 is letterboxed. You must be sure that each sequence is set for what you desire before doing anything else. Open each sequence on the timeline and choose Sequence > Settings, then either check or uncheck the anamorphic box as needed. Now when you drop the 16:9 sequence into the 4:3 it should become letterboxed. It should never "default back" to anamorphic.

The other thing you can have a look at is the Audio/Video settings under the FCP menu. See what it says under "Sequence Prest." I believe this is the default FCP uses when you create a new sequence. If it isn't behaving the way you want, then choose a different preset there.

Does any of this help?

Nevin Aragam · April 26th, 2005, 10:28 AM

Hey Boyd,
I appreciate your help. However, what you told me to do is what was causing me problems. For some reason my animorphic sequences, although set to anamorphic, would stretch to fit the 4:3 superwhite setting rather than letterbox.
I ended up figuring a laborious fix that got the job done. I just dropped the already 16:9 sequence into another 16:9 sequence and then dropped it into the 4:3.
I only seemed to have this problem with animorphic sequences which incorporated still pictures. In other words all the native 16:9 shots would letterbox just fine if they were the only items in the sequence, but if I added a picture scan to the sequence the 16:9 wouldnt letterbox when added to a 4:3 sequence.
I assume that's my problem, i just dont know why it was happening.
All in all, at least I got my project finished.
If you or anyone else have any ideas or knowledge of why these sequences with pictures were acting this way, i'd appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks,
Nevin

Boyd Ostroff · April 26th, 2005, 01:55 PM

OK, that's a clue. What is the resolution of your stills? FCP automatically scales them to whatever it feels appropriate. I've found personally that the best thing is to crop and/or resample the stills manually in photoshop to 480x854 pixels to get the composition you want. After that, as a final Photoshop step, resample them again - without preserving proportions to 720x480. Now you will have an anamorphic still.

Drag the photoshop files to the browser in FCP. Now select each and go to Edit > Item properties and check the anamorphic box. An alternative is to just scroll the browser window way to the right and check the anamorphic column for all the still.

NOW you can drop them into a sequence and their proportions will be correct for 16:9. I've never had the problem you describe, but I'll hazard a guess that this might fix it. It will also probably give you nicer stills. I've never been really impressed with FCP's scaling abilities, although it's a quick and easy way to do things.

Nevin Aragam · April 26th, 2005, 02:13 PM

I use files any where from the 1024 pixel range to 3000... some times more sometimes less.
I have never had this problem before.
I use large files so i can pan and scan and stuff like that.
Thanks,
Nevin

April 25th, 2005, 07:44 PM	#1
Nevin Aragam Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Knoxville Tennessee Posts: 37	I Need Help Asap I am trying to nest a 16:9 sequence into a 4:3 sequence, but the preset keeps defaulting back to anamorphic everytime i change it. So my 16:9 stuff is stretched out on a 4:3 screen but its set to anamorphic. The nesting has been working until now when i need it the most. Does anyone have any clue how to fix this? Thanks, Nevin __________________ That'll do pig, that'll do

April 26th, 2005, 10:28 AM	#3
Nevin Aragam Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Knoxville Tennessee Posts: 37	Hey Boyd, I appreciate your help. However, what you told me to do is what was causing me problems. For some reason my animorphic sequences, although set to anamorphic, would stretch to fit the 4:3 superwhite setting rather than letterbox. I ended up figuring a laborious fix that got the job done. I just dropped the already 16:9 sequence into another 16:9 sequence and then dropped it into the 4:3. I only seemed to have this problem with animorphic sequences which incorporated still pictures. In other words all the native 16:9 shots would letterbox just fine if they were the only items in the sequence, but if I added a picture scan to the sequence the 16:9 wouldnt letterbox when added to a 4:3 sequence. I assume that's my problem, i just dont know why it was happening. All in all, at least I got my project finished. If you or anyone else have any ideas or knowledge of why these sequences with pictures were acting this way, i'd appreciate your thoughts. Thanks, Nevin __________________ That'll do pig, that'll do

April 26th, 2005, 02:13 PM	#5
Nevin Aragam Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Knoxville Tennessee Posts: 37	I use files any where from the 1024 pixel range to 3000... some times more sometimes less. I have never had this problem before. I use large files so i can pan and scan and stuff like that. Thanks, Nevin __________________ That'll do pig, that'll do

April 25th, 2005, 09:14 PM	#2
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,787	Not completely sure what you're asking, but I'll take a stab at it.... I assume you want to drop an anamorphic sequence into a 4:3 sequence such that the 16:9 is letterboxed. You must be sure that each sequence is set for what you desire before doing anything else. Open each sequence on the timeline and choose Sequence > Settings, then either check or uncheck the anamorphic box as needed. Now when you drop the 16:9 sequence into the 4:3 it should become letterboxed. It should never "default back" to anamorphic. The other thing you can have a look at is the Audio/Video settings under the FCP menu. See what it says under "Sequence Prest." I believe this is the default FCP uses when you create a new sequence. If it isn't behaving the way you want, then choose a different preset there. Does any of this help?

April 26th, 2005, 01:55 PM	#4
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,787	OK, that's a clue. What is the resolution of your stills? FCP automatically scales them to whatever it feels appropriate. I've found personally that the best thing is to crop and/or resample the stills manually in photoshop to 480x854 pixels to get the composition you want. After that, as a final Photoshop step, resample them again - without preserving proportions to 720x480. Now you will have an anamorphic still. Drag the photoshop files to the browser in FCP. Now select each and go to Edit > Item properties and check the anamorphic box. An alternative is to just scroll the browser window way to the right and check the anamorphic column for all the still. NOW you can drop them into a sequence and their proportions will be correct for 16:9. I've never had the problem you describe, but I'll hazard a guess that this might fix it. It will also probably give you nicer stills. I've never been really impressed with FCP's scaling abilities, although it's a quick and easy way to do things.