Pan and crop...
 

I think I've asked something along these lines before but I'm getting close to using this feature so need some specific thoughts from those who know...

Starting with a full screen shot in SD, then pan/cropping to a closer view clearly will reduce quality and resolution. My question is how much cropping - say a percentage - can be done before it becomes particularly noticeable?

Let's say it was cropped 20%, would that be very obvious?

Working in my preview window doesn't really seem to tell me much...

Of course I'm aware the size of screen used will/may also be an issue, with a bigger screen exposing the drop in resolution more than a small one.

Re: Pan and crop...
 

Hey Renton

When I had my GS500's I tried it for weddings and cropping to make a 4:3 image into 16:9 was an absolute disaster...not sure what the crop factor was in that case but the zoomed imaged was decidedly softer and really noticeable when side by side with the original!! If you are cropping everything 20% then you just might get away with it!!!

Also remember if you crop interlaced footage you will need to deinterlace it in Properties otherwise you will get huge jaggies during movement!! If you do crop try the HD to SD trick and drop the Sony Sharpen plugin onto the zoomed clip but leave the settings at zero...it does help!

Chris

Re: Pan and crop...
 

Hi Chris

I don't have HD - only 1x GS400 and 3 GS500s.

This project I'm now working on - which is why I am in video at all, has these four camera angles. Two of them, one through the teleprompter with me on the right side of the screen so as to allow for text and images to be placed on the left - zoomed from just above pockets on a shirt to a bit of head room, and the other one similar zoom, looking about 25 degrees off camera to left, still to the right side but less so. My thought was to vary the zoom on these two angles via pan/crop to create viewing variety. Actually all cameras could take such zooming but as the other two are a lot more zoomed already, there would be less zoom required.

Up to 20% - or at least cropping so the the sides of the frame are reduced by up to 20% - area may be different - produces quite nice and different shots.

Re: Pan and crop...
 

Another question on the pan crop. Is there a 'reset' on the pan/crop. If after I have been fiddling around with crops, how can I easily undo everything I have done - return to default?

Re: Pan and crop...
 

Right-click > Restore

Re: Pan and crop...
 

Ctrl + Z or Undo Button takes you back one step at a time.

Richard.

Re: Pan and crop...
 

You can also do things to draw attention away from the reduction in quality when you zoom in -- change the colors, do something wild -- if you have some kind of consistent editorial reason for doing it, then it can become part of the program, and not just some jarring drop in quality. Make it look like it was intended all along.

Re: Pan and crop...
 

Yes, that should always be the guiding principle in any edit job.

Re: Pan and crop...
 

Thanks Mike. Right > Restore is exactly what I was after. Stepping back one step at a time was a pain, especially when there were other changes in the chain...

David. That is a good idea - though I'm not sure if or how I can use it. Will keep it in mind. Thanks.

Re: Pan and crop...
 

Yes . . . with the caveat that the edit should have been largely figured out before the shoot ever happened. :)

Re: Pan and crop...
 

Well that certainly hasn't happened in this case!! :-)

Seeing I don't have a grip on the whole procedure at this stage in my experience, I work one step at a time and deal with any issues that come up as I proceed...though I've tried to get the best footage I can, and not commit myself to steps that lock me into ways I'm not sure I want to go. Thus my questions about Chromakeying and alpha channels...