Applying widescreen filter in FCE at DVinfo.net

Justin Morgan · December 16th, 2003, 04:52 AM

Is there an easier way of adding the widescreen filter to Final Cut sequences? As my film consist of many clips on many different layers/tracks it seems like a bit of a headache to have to apply the widescreen filter to every clip.

Surely there must be an easier way?

Ted Springer · December 16th, 2003, 08:34 AM

Yes, but you must own Adobe Photoshop. Create a new 720x480 document with two layers. On the upper layer, create your widescreen bars to whatever aspect you need them to be. Delete the bottom layer. Now everything but the bars will be transparent. Save as dawidescreenbarzyo.psd and import into Final Cut Amateur... err... Express. It'll probably change into a sequence of it's own. Set the timing of that sequence to however long you need it to be. Drag it on top of all the other layers. Render. Wait. Come back. Get mad that something went wrong. Repeat until it works.

Sharon Fraats · December 16th, 2003, 10:29 AM

Is there a "Matte Setting" FCE? Just wondering.

Justin Morgan · December 17th, 2003, 03:51 AM

There is a matt folder in filters - this has widescreen filter in it. Is that what you mean, Sharon?

Thanks for the tips - weird and surprising that there isn't an easier way of doing it within Final Cut (Amateur - very amusing) itself without havin to resort to creating and importing bars from a separate application...?

Ted Springer · December 17th, 2003, 08:34 AM

Well you can also download mattes if you don't have Photoshop. I think the Lady X webpage has a standard 16:9 matte you can download. I don't know the URL, though.

Sharon Fraats · December 17th, 2003, 10:26 AM

Thank you as I do not own FCE it is good to know what they provide.

Glenn Chan · December 17th, 2003, 04:53 PM

Can't you use the motion controls and crop to apply letterboxing?

2- FCE supports nesting. Draw your master sequence into a new sequence. right click the nest and open in viewer. Go into the motion controls tab and apply cropping. Use the widescreen filter as a guide.

Justin Morgan · December 18th, 2003, 03:41 AM

That sounds a good one - thanks.

Nesting sequences was one thing I had been doing which seemed to make things a little simpler. One problem I had though was that, on a normal clip, the widescreen filter allows you to shift the image up or down (to get the ideal crop). This doesn't seem to work on nested sequences. Double clicking a nested sequence doesn't open the sequence in the viewer it opens the original clips in the timeline...?

Glenn Chan · December 18th, 2003, 05:12 PM

You have to right click the nest and select the open in viewer option. I think there's another way to do that. It would probably involve holding shift or crtl and while double clicking.

To get the ideal crop:
You could use the motion controls on the clip to move it up/down. It's in the nest so the cropping gets applied afterwards. Perhaps the widescreen filter will help you visualize what happens (or give you the correct numbers to put into the motion controls).

Justin Morgan · December 19th, 2003, 05:23 AM

Great - thanks for that Glenn, I'll give it a try.

December 16th, 2003, 04:52 AM	#1
Justin Morgan Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: London Posts: 189	Applying widescreen filter in FCE Is there an easier way of adding the widescreen filter to Final Cut sequences? As my film consist of many clips on many different layers/tracks it seems like a bit of a headache to have to apply the widescreen filter to every clip. Surely there must be an easier way?

December 16th, 2003, 08:34 AM	#2
Ted Springer Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Glendale CA Posts: 328	Yes, but you must own Adobe Photoshop. Create a new 720x480 document with two layers. On the upper layer, create your widescreen bars to whatever aspect you need them to be. Delete the bottom layer. Now everything but the bars will be transparent. Save as dawidescreenbarzyo.psd and import into Final Cut Amateur... err... Express. It'll probably change into a sequence of it's own. Set the timing of that sequence to however long you need it to be. Drag it on top of all the other layers. Render. Wait. Come back. Get mad that something went wrong. Repeat until it works.

December 16th, 2003, 10:29 AM	#3
Sharon Fraats Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: chicago, ill Posts: 190	Is there a "Matte Setting" FCE? Just wondering.

December 17th, 2003, 03:51 AM	#4
Justin Morgan Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: London Posts: 189	There is a matt folder in filters - this has widescreen filter in it. Is that what you mean, Sharon? Thanks for the tips - weird and surprising that there isn't an easier way of doing it within Final Cut (Amateur - very amusing) itself without havin to resort to creating and importing bars from a separate application...?

December 17th, 2003, 08:34 AM	#5
Ted Springer Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Glendale CA Posts: 328	Well you can also download mattes if you don't have Photoshop. I think the Lady X webpage has a standard 16:9 matte you can download. I don't know the URL, though.

December 17th, 2003, 10:26 AM	#6
Sharon Fraats Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: chicago, ill Posts: 190	Thank you as I do not own FCE it is good to know what they provide.

December 17th, 2003, 04:53 PM	#7
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	Can't you use the motion controls and crop to apply letterboxing? 2- FCE supports nesting. Draw your master sequence into a new sequence. right click the nest and open in viewer. Go into the motion controls tab and apply cropping. Use the widescreen filter as a guide.

December 18th, 2003, 03:41 AM	#8
Justin Morgan Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: London Posts: 189	That sounds a good one - thanks. Nesting sequences was one thing I had been doing which seemed to make things a little simpler. One problem I had though was that, on a normal clip, the widescreen filter allows you to shift the image up or down (to get the ideal crop). This doesn't seem to work on nested sequences. Double clicking a nested sequence doesn't open the sequence in the viewer it opens the original clips in the timeline...?

December 18th, 2003, 05:12 PM	#9
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	You have to right click the nest and select the open in viewer option. I think there's another way to do that. It would probably involve holding shift or crtl and while double clicking. To get the ideal crop: You could use the motion controls on the clip to move it up/down. It's in the nest so the cropping gets applied afterwards. Perhaps the widescreen filter will help you visualize what happens (or give you the correct numbers to put into the motion controls).

December 19th, 2003, 05:23 AM	#10
Justin Morgan Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: London Posts: 189	Great - thanks for that Glenn, I'll give it a try.