Converting 4:3 footage to 16:9 at DVinfo.net

James Darren · March 26th, 2005, 09:00 AM

hi all,

i'm currently shooting a DVD for release late this year on my Sony PDX10P in 16:9 mode. I figure I may as well use 16:9 on this camera since it does quite well.

I'll be shooting probably 50-75% of the DVD with my PDX10P & the rest will be contributed from other filmers, most of it having been shot with PD150's in 4:3 mode.

How do I convert the 4:3 footage to look reasonably good in 16:9 ratio? Rather than just cropping the top & bottom to the 16:9 ratio, I was thinking of only cropping it to lets say a 14:9 ratio (or similar) then stretching it slightly to get a 16:9 ratio. Since it isn't stretched heaps, would it still look ok & reasonably natural? Are there other better techniques? If not, how would I go about doing it the way I suggested?

Any help is appreciated!

James Darren · March 27th, 2005, 10:30 AM

anybody?...

Glenn Chan · March 27th, 2005, 02:50 PM

You could do as you suggest, cropping and stetching the 4:3 footage. For most footage your audience probably won't notice it, unless there is something square or circular in the shot that looks off. We know square and circular objects have certain exact proportions. For human faces I think they have to be consistently off, because people are good at remembering faces by facial proportions.

You really need to ask yourself why you're choosing the aspect ratio you want though. If you want to go with 16:9, you need to make sure the framing in the 4:3 footage works with 16:9 or get anamorphic adapters (which have their own issues).

James Darren · March 27th, 2005, 09:21 PM

its all sports action shots so I don't think it'll be too noticeable...

you said get an anamorphic adaptor but all of the 4:3 footage is older footage which I want to use....

March 26th, 2005, 09:00 AM	#1
James Darren Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: New York, NY Posts: 235	Converting 4:3 footage to 16:9 hi all, i'm currently shooting a DVD for release late this year on my Sony PDX10P in 16:9 mode. I figure I may as well use 16:9 on this camera since it does quite well. I'll be shooting probably 50-75% of the DVD with my PDX10P & the rest will be contributed from other filmers, most of it having been shot with PD150's in 4:3 mode. How do I convert the 4:3 footage to look reasonably good in 16:9 ratio? Rather than just cropping the top & bottom to the 16:9 ratio, I was thinking of only cropping it to lets say a 14:9 ratio (or similar) then stretching it slightly to get a 16:9 ratio. Since it isn't stretched heaps, would it still look ok & reasonably natural? Are there other better techniques? If not, how would I go about doing it the way I suggested? Any help is appreciated!

March 27th, 2005, 10:30 AM	#2
James Darren Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: New York, NY Posts: 235	anybody?...

March 27th, 2005, 02:50 PM	#3
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	You could do as you suggest, cropping and stetching the 4:3 footage. For most footage your audience probably won't notice it, unless there is something square or circular in the shot that looks off. We know square and circular objects have certain exact proportions. For human faces I think they have to be consistently off, because people are good at remembering faces by facial proportions. You really need to ask yourself why you're choosing the aspect ratio you want though. If you want to go with 16:9, you need to make sure the framing in the 4:3 footage works with 16:9 or get anamorphic adapters (which have their own issues).

March 27th, 2005, 09:21 PM	#4
James Darren Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: New York, NY Posts: 235	its all sports action shots so I don't think it'll be too noticeable... you said get an anamorphic adaptor but all of the 4:3 footage is older footage which I want to use....