IMPORTING VIDEO AND PICTURES

Hi,
I am doing a FCP project and started by importing 16x9 DV. I now plan on importing 4x3 photographs. Do I have to make any imports changes? I don't mind if the project has two different aspect ratios. Also, will I have aspect ratio problems when I export project to quicktime or when I make the DVD using IDVD? I hope i've given enough info. Thanks for the help.
Ray

[www.lafcpug.org]



www.strypesinpost.com

OK...FCP doesn't change anything when it imports. NADA. All it does is make a clip that points to the media as it exists on your drive...WHERE the file is stored. So first be sure to put the pics on the media drive, or somehow organize them so you have them with the project.

Now...they will remain 4:3...they won't stretch to 16:9. You will have to push in further on them than normal to have them fill the screen.


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You said you didn't mind if the project had two different aspect ratios. If you don't mind the so-called "pillarboxing" that results when you put a 4:3 image into a wide 16:9 frame -- ie. black bars on left and right -- then there isn't much you need to do.

You can also help alleviate the pillarbox look -- which some people hate -- if you make it look like a deliberate choice. For example, shrink the still so that you also have black space on top and bottom, or fill any black space with a graphical element. Whether that works or not is, of course, dependent on the still and what you want to do. If you have information on the stills you need to convey, then shrinking them may make the information harder to see.


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