how to stretch back out HD footage that is horizontally squished?

Hi, I captured some HD footage using ImovieHD and have just imported it into FCP HD but it's squished horizontally. I tried doing the "easy setup" for DVC Pro 1080i60 but that only cropped the canvas cutting off the sides. . .

can you advise please?

thanks

ok fcp6

go to sequence > settings > and choose the hd codec you would like ( or what you think the footage is). Click ok

open a new sequence. it should open with the new settings.

load a clip into the viewer and create a say 2 second clip and place in the tl. If you get a message promoting a change the footage is not that codec.

Choose no and place the clip on the TL anyway. Double click it into the viewer > click the motion tab > go down to the distortion tab and click the triangle. Look at distortion.

a - number distortion mean that the footage is lager in aspect than the sequence. A +number is the opposite. You can set that to 0 and it will fit the sequence. Not always with great results tho.

If you select the file on the drive and right click you can get its exact dimensions to compare it to the the intended delivery codec.

I haven't used imovie in years but i am sure there is a way of seeing what it was captured as (including aspect).

Why not just capture with FCP?

""" What you do with what you have, is more important than what you could do, with what you don't have."

> > > Knowledge + Action = Wisdom - J. Corbett 1992 """"

Double-click the clip in the timeline. In the Viewer there is a "Motion" tab. In the "Motion" tab there is a "Distort" drop down. Click the red "X" on that drop down bar.

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Thats a nice one joe. I was going all over the place compared to that simple step.

""" What you do with what you have, is more important than what you could do, with what you don't have."

> > > Knowledge + Action = Wisdom - J. Corbett 1992 """"

hmm i'ts not doing anything for me. I got a change in the picture but not the right one by selecting what would appear to be the only possible codec

I am just going to get my friend to show me how to edit in imovie cause it's not clear to me at all how to trim clips from the help in that program . . .

thanks anyway!

you aren't capturing DVCproHD in iMovie... You're either capturing DV or AIC.