importing graphics at 100%

Hi,

FCP is resizing my graphics to fill the action-safe box, but I have them pre-sized to what I need them to be. I've checked preferences and setings and can't find any specific controls.

Other than using Copy Attributes (a pain) to scale them back down, is there a way to specify that all graphics dragged to the timeline will come in at 100% only?

thanks,

HarryD

Don't use Copy Attributes. Use Remove Attributes (OPTION-APPLE-V). One command.


www.derekmok.com

Thanks, but it doesn't really answer the question - how can one stop this from happening at all, rather than correct it after FCP does it? I seem to recall that AVID allows one to set certain parameters for imported graphics, but is that not here in FCP? I'd expect to find it under user prefs (like setting the duration for importing still files). But I find nada.

Even worse, the still image resizing is not consistent.

So what's up with this "feature?"

thanks,

HarryD

Do you mean 100% of the source graphic - ie: a photoshop file of 600x300

Or something else?



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Yes - I'm looking to import graphics to the timeline and have them come in at 100% (eg, a 500 x 200 graphic would be 500 x 200, NOT be resized at all).

As i said, my current project has files that come into the timeline that are consistently resized up (to 112%), which in this case fills the action-safe area. In other cases, FCP has resized things down to below the title-safe area.

I'm not sure what FCP is doing, and I'd like to know if there's a control or preference that can set this.

thanks,

HarryD

Hi Harry

Sorry to be a pedant but could you describe exactly what you are doing. (from photoshop or other) What format are you using eg: JPEG, PSD, TARGA... What settings in FCP are you using: DV, 4:3, 16:9?

I've tried to replicate this with various graphics but the only ones that cause a slight issue are the ones that are the same size as say for example a D1 file (720x486 or 720x576).

Try this:

When you import the graphics (before you add them to the timeline)

? Look a them in with the list view in the browser (not icons)

? Make sure the Pixel Aspect is Square

? And that Anamorphic is not ticked


Once this is done dropping or point editing into your timeline should mean they stay the same size and you created them.

Let me know if this works - if not - please give us a step by step of what you are doing so we can check it.

Good luck

Ben



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There is no preference for this. Why don't you put in a feature request? Use remove attributes or make them to fit the screen.

Hi, Ben, thanks for the advice.

I did all of that - i've been an editor for a long time and using FCP for awhile and know my way around a bit, but this one has me stumped - as apparently it's not in there.

But, since you ask:

I am doing an educational video in SD (NTSC 720 x 480) with lots and lots of powerpoint slides in the edit. The biggest problem is that the slides have text and graphics going out to the edges of each slide, with no allowance for title- nor action-safe areas. so, I have to size the slides to be within or near the title-safe area, with either a colored or black border/background.

There are lots of ways to do this, the easiest to simply output them as a title-safe size (576 X 382, which is 720 x 480 minus 20% all around).

What I have to do in the interim is output them all as large tiffs (because some slides require zooming and animation), then use a batch action in Photoshop to size them to the title-safe size with a black background. Again that's 532 x 382, and I programmed the batch to then increase the size of the canvas (not the picture itself) to 720 x 480, making a black border/ background. this gives me a size that FCP likes, requires no rendering, and puts the entire slide in the title-safe area.

the best way to do this would be to remake all the slides in powerPoint with appropriate title-safe borders, but with more than 600 slides, I'm focusing on the really bad ones for that.

I won't go into this particular go-round being a redo - some of the original files that went into this section (it's a 7-hour project) were flickering badly for some reason. that's fixed (they were pictures scanned from print - halftones - and weren't properly smoothed), but i have to remake and relink about 100 of the slides. the only bad part has been 1) getting FCP to behave, and 2) having to manually rename a bunch of the remade slides.

so there you have it - my little slice of heaven.

thanks,

HarryD

Perhaps I'm missing something, but I don't really understand why you're doing all those steps.

If you want to do motion, zooming work etc. with those slides, then you should be keeping them as large as possible.

If all the slides are non-action-safe, filling a 720x480 frame, then find the Scale value which would make them safe, then Paste Attributes to all the slides to keep them safe. You can then fill the black border with a colour matte that matches the background colour of the slides, or put another copy of the slide underneath but at full scale so that it fills the edges.

I don't understand why you want to rescale the slides in Photoshop to Title Safe, with a black border, thus losing resolution when you import -- the image is pre-shrunk and will give you fewer options in zooming and motion.


www.derekmok.com

Quote

Again that's 532 x 382, and I programmed the batch to then increase the size of the canvas (not the picture itself) to 720 x 480, making a black border/ background. this gives me a size that FCP likes, requires no rendering, and puts the entire slide in the title-safe area.

I've used this method for PPTs for years with Avid and with FCP.

I would add an action into the batch of a Gaussian Blur of 0.3 to 0.6 which will stop your flicker problem.


What I don't get is which ones are stretching.

Are you saying that FCP is resizing 576 X 382 stills to 720x480 automatically?


Ben



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Quote
Ben King
What I don't get is which ones are stretching.

Are you saying that FCP is resizing 576 X 382 stills to 720x480 automatically?

It's weirder than that. FCP upscales all 576 x 382 files by 112% - so it doesn't fill the entire screen, but increases the size to approximately action-safe size. It's nutty, but it does it.

And i don't know why.

HarryD

Hi, Derek,

Thanks for the input, but I've done this many times before, too, and trust me, using Photoshop to make the files properly all in a batch is much, much easier than all that mucking around in FCP with color mattes, possibly keying, background layers, extra tracks, etc etc. the Photoshop approach looks better, too. Making the graphics properly ahead of time makes it a drag and drop proposition in FCP, with little to no rendering.

About the motion: you are quite right, and there are 3 or four files that get the royal treatment with movement. those files are much larger than the others (I think I've got them about 2K or thereabouts; i forget, but they get a pretty severe zoom which holds up well). and of course I am using the motion keyframes in FCP. That's not the issue.

the issue is : why does FCP resize files and not bring them in at their pre-made size? That's all.

thanks,

HarryD

I've just tested this...

It seems to be a bug on NTSC DV sequences but not on PAL DV.

FCP does bring them in at the correct size - it's only when placed on the timeline that the resize happens.

One way around it would be to add all the clips into the timeline (with the resize) then simply highlight all the offending clips, right click and remove attributes > basic motion (leave distort)

I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help Harry - it truely looks like a bug on NTSC DV sequences.


Ben



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I just checked this by importing a large (5500x4250px) TIFF file into a project filled with DV NTSC sequences and the "resize" didn't happen in the Browser. APPLE-9 brings up the correct original image size and the resize/distort only happens when you cut it into a timeline. Thing is, project files don't have a preset codec and settings -- sequences do. You can mix sequences of disparate settings in the same project file.

So I don't think it's a DV NTSC thing. It's possible that it only happens in FCP5 (I'm still on FCP4.5). Or there's something funky with the way your graphics files were created.


www.derekmok.com

Very interesting, Ben -

so i have actually discovered something? Big whoop, i wish it were cool :-( But at least you could duplicate it. I guess we need to press Apple on this... Or at least I do.

Anyway, I went to the Photoshop method and that worked OK - it's been a whopper of a day, including having PS create some tif files that PS itself wouldn't read back into itself. That's a good one, but one problem at a time.

anyway, things are looking good here so far.

BTW, fyi - the flickering was caused by some grunged up photos that got stretched way out of shape then distorted back to make them appear "normal" and OK in FCP, but they munged bad when it went to DVD. They were the only gfx in the whole project that did that. jeez, this section is snake-bitten.

so thanks mucho, you and derek. my question got answered, but not the way we all wanted it to!

HarryD

Hey np man - A problem shared is a problem aired or doubled or in most cases sorted, sadly this is something I can't quite fathom - I think its the pixel aspect ratio conversion on square pixels thats causing the issue but at least its not something we can't work around!

Ben



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

when importing jpegs from Photoshop, what should the aspect ratio be, 720 by 480 ?

I'm going to be doing a documentary with about 100 35mm slides. What should they be scanned at:

72 pixels per inch and 720 px by 480 px?

My DV footage is all 4:3 NTSC video telecined from 16mm.

I hope this is within the topic of this thread.

I have no need to do motion or change the stills.

Vic read this: [www.lafcpug.org]

Ben



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Ben, that was very helpful. I read the article to the best of my ability or lack of it rather :-)

So, since I'm going from 35mm slides, I should scan at a higher dpi, namely ... what?

According to the article, if the slide is 2 inches wide and I want to end up with720 pixels, then I should scan at 400 dpi to end up with 800 pixels, right?

This way I have an image in FCP that will fit into the 720 frame (that being my choice frame size).

However, I wish to keep the image at exactly 720, so then I must find out the exact size of the 35mm frame width and multiply by the pixel at inch ratio (which I don't remember what it is -- I'm on a PC laptop while posting this).

And I'm assuming that Photoshop automatically uses the square pixels, right?

Thanks for the article...

I want to end up with720 pixels, then I should scan at 400 dpi to end up with 800 pixels, right?


Correct - it would be beneficial to get them in slightly larger so you have a small leaway to reposition.

And you can simply scale the clip to the sequence.

To scale a graphic:

? Select a clip in your sequence to rescale.
? Choose Modify > Scale to Sequence.

Please note: If the aspect ratio of your imported graphic doesn?t match that of your edited
sequence, the image will end up with either horizontal or vertical black borders.

Ben



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]