4k 1.9:1 - where did I go wrong and what's the best solution

Transcoded 4k 1.9:1 RED footage to 1920 x 1080 through Red Cine X awhile ago

I can't believe I didn't realize this till now but my transcoded clips (the actual image) do not take up the entire 1920 x 1080 frame, resulting in black lines at the top and bottom

The lines are in the original R3D's as well...hmmm, now I'm stumped. The transcodes were for the offline.

Was I supposed to crop out the black the lines in red cine X before I trans code?

How does this affect the online? Will I need to scale up all the clips to get rid of the black bars in the online?

Thank you

The Red sensors aren't 16X9 so the original footage isn't 16X9, the camera can be set up to shoot 16X9. It's one of those discussions we are supposed to have with production before they shoot. Technically it's cameras mistake for not working in the appropriate size, but you know how that goes.

Red Cine has a set of radio buttons for fit width or fit height, fit height would have been your choice. You can do the trans-code again, it will be the exact same footage. You can even start cutting and, do a batch at night and replace that batch in the morning. FCP wont even know it happened.

IMHO ditch Cine-x next time around and use, Resolve lite, same price just faster and more versatile.

Hi Ethan,

Thank you, I certainly do not want to transcode again.

So what are my options? Crop in the online?

Oh absolutely, I thought you had transcoded to your offline res, and not going to do a conform. Easy peezie, handle in the online. Working with Red and Resolve, I leave the bars in and put my burn-in there. So I always have that reference, and the image can be cropped for a clean frame for a screening.

1.9:1 is a considerably wider format than 1.78:1 (aka 16:9). It's to the credit of your transcoding software that it didn't distort the image to 1920x1080 square pixels (16:9), but it probably made you 1920x1010 pixels of image plus the black above and below. Now you must crop off the left and/or right sides of that image, until it is 1796x1010, and then you must blow up the 1796x1010 to 1920x1080. That's sad.

It would have been better to transcode the 4k 1.9:1 image to 2052x1080, so you'd only need to crop off the left and/or right sides until it is 1920x1080.

Dennis Couzin
Berlin, Germany

Another reason, your (mistake) is how I prefer to work. I want the whole image available to me, because I re-frame stuff all the time. So I say your wise inner editor, made the right choice.

Quote
Joe Riggs
The transcodes were for the offline.

Sorry I missed that.

Dennis Couzin
Berlin, Germany