editing a 4:3 SD video for display on a vertically mounted widescreen monitor?? at DVinfo.net

Brendan Donohue · July 7th, 2009, 02:51 PM

What is the workflow for this in FCP??? My client needs their 4:3 SD trade show loop video to be resized for display on a vertical widescreen monitor at a seminar this week. I have some ideas about how tweak it (flip 90 degrees, etc) but I need an exact workflow from someone who has experience with this...I had the project completed today and they just told me they in fact needed the video to be presented in this fashion and need it by tomorrow!!!

They sent me a sample video that is 768X1024..I guess I need to set up a new project at those dimensions and then import the 4:3 720x480 and flip 90 degrees and stretch to fill horizontally?? It'll be letterboxed on top and bottom and video will just play horizontally thru the middle of the verticle screen...??? I'm just not sure if it's gonna work
PLEASE ADVISE!!

thanks,
~brendan

William Hohauser · July 7th, 2009, 03:04 PM

It will work but you'll have to make some big decisions on how the video ends up. If you rotate the finished 4:3 video and resize it proportionately, there will be a lot of letterboxing. There is only so much stretching you can get away with before the video gets odd looking. Especially if the video has people in it. See if the client has graphics or text to fill in the empty areas. Projects like this frequently get done in programs like After Effects and are played back out of computers not DVD players. Another option is to reedit the entire video on a 16:9 timeline and rotate/resize/crop/zoom everything to fit. Not something easy to consider in this timeframe.

Brendan Donohue · July 7th, 2009, 04:25 PM

this is a shot of the example video they sent me: 768x1024 H.264 vid. It is already at a vertical aspect ratio (see below). They made it sound like if I gave them a file exactly like this they can play it through their computer through the monitor and it will show up like that (the video card will force the monitor to display vertically?). they can set QT to loop the vid. this would forgo having to flip the video on its side and burn to a dvd so that it will show vertically i take it?? the place where the vid is being shown is in NYC and I'm in Nashville so I have no way of really knowing what the exact setup is...very frustrating. I already edited the vid to match this clip and it looks alright, just letterboxed on top and bottom, but they said that's ok..geez

William Hohauser · July 7th, 2009, 06:12 PM

They are right. You can go into FCP and make a custom sized sequence which will never play on standard video equipment. As long as they are sure that their computer and monitor are setup to play a file of these dimensions then give them what they ask for.

I once was asked to make the strangest size file for an electronic awning that wrapped around a building. It was compromised of three screens of different rectangular dimensions but their dimensions where such that, on paper, they fit together and made a larger rectangle. I was asked to make a file to fill this larger rectangle. Each smaller rectangle got a different set of video images that all had the same running time. The single file was split by a computer and sent to the different screens while the file played back.

Brendan Donohue · July 7th, 2009, 09:57 PM

Whoa, that sounds crazy William...that's the thing, I'm just hoping the AV guys at the facility have it under control...I'm sure they do, I wasn't really able to interface with them directly, I've been going through my client and the details on this aspect have been meager at best, but I set up and output my sequence at the said dimensions that the people in NY specified so I figure it's all good...it's like dealing with a middle man

I'm figuring that the video card they have supports a vertical display and they'll just play the QT file full screen and enable looping...In a perfect world the video and images would have all been SHOT in portrait mode and I could have edited as such...but I was just dealing with the material I was given..it was a very last minute project to begin with...should work out hopefully!

July 7th, 2009, 02:51 PM	#1
Brendan Donohue Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 161	editing a 4:3 SD video for display on a vertically mounted widescreen monitor?? What is the workflow for this in FCP??? My client needs their 4:3 SD trade show loop video to be resized for display on a vertical widescreen monitor at a seminar this week. I have some ideas about how tweak it (flip 90 degrees, etc) but I need an exact workflow from someone who has experience with this...I had the project completed today and they just told me they in fact needed the video to be presented in this fashion and need it by tomorrow!!! They sent me a sample video that is 768X1024..I guess I need to set up a new project at those dimensions and then import the 4:3 720x480 and flip 90 degrees and stretch to fill horizontally?? It'll be letterboxed on top and bottom and video will just play horizontally thru the middle of the verticle screen...??? I'm just not sure if it's gonna work PLEASE ADVISE!! thanks, ~brendan

July 7th, 2009, 03:04 PM	#2
William Hohauser Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: New York City Posts: 2,650	It will work but you'll have to make some big decisions on how the video ends up. If you rotate the finished 4:3 video and resize it proportionately, there will be a lot of letterboxing. There is only so much stretching you can get away with before the video gets odd looking. Especially if the video has people in it. See if the client has graphics or text to fill in the empty areas. Projects like this frequently get done in programs like After Effects and are played back out of computers not DVD players. Another option is to reedit the entire video on a 16:9 timeline and rotate/resize/crop/zoom everything to fit. Not something easy to consider in this timeframe. __________________ William Hohauser - New York City Producer/Edit/Camera/Animation

July 7th, 2009, 04:25 PM	#3
Brendan Donohue Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 161	this is a shot of the example video they sent me: 768x1024 H.264 vid. It is already at a vertical aspect ratio (see below). They made it sound like if I gave them a file exactly like this they can play it through their computer through the monitor and it will show up like that (the video card will force the monitor to display vertically?). they can set QT to loop the vid. this would forgo having to flip the video on its side and burn to a dvd so that it will show vertically i take it?? the place where the vid is being shown is in NYC and I'm in Nashville so I have no way of really knowing what the exact setup is...very frustrating. I already edited the vid to match this clip and it looks alright, just letterboxed on top and bottom, but they said that's ok..geez Attached Thumbnails

July 7th, 2009, 06:12 PM	#4
William Hohauser Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: New York City Posts: 2,650	They are right. You can go into FCP and make a custom sized sequence which will never play on standard video equipment. As long as they are sure that their computer and monitor are setup to play a file of these dimensions then give them what they ask for. I once was asked to make the strangest size file for an electronic awning that wrapped around a building. It was compromised of three screens of different rectangular dimensions but their dimensions where such that, on paper, they fit together and made a larger rectangle. I was asked to make a file to fill this larger rectangle. Each smaller rectangle got a different set of video images that all had the same running time. The single file was split by a computer and sent to the different screens while the file played back. __________________ William Hohauser - New York City Producer/Edit/Camera/Animation

July 7th, 2009, 09:57 PM	#5
Brendan Donohue Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 161	Whoa, that sounds crazy William...that's the thing, I'm just hoping the AV guys at the facility have it under control...I'm sure they do, I wasn't really able to interface with them directly, I've been going through my client and the details on this aspect have been meager at best, but I set up and output my sequence at the said dimensions that the people in NY specified so I figure it's all good...it's like dealing with a middle man I'm figuring that the video card they have supports a vertical display and they'll just play the QT file full screen and enable looping...In a perfect world the video and images would have all been SHOT in portrait mode and I could have edited as such...but I was just dealing with the material I was given..it was a very last minute project to begin with...should work out hopefully!