Forums | MacLife

limazita · 2009-03-20 10:32 pm

Hi,

I am working on a slideshow of photos in FCE4. The show is basically one photo dissolving into the next one. The show consists of over 200 images and a few tricks to increase efficiency in doing the show in FCE is a life saver to me now. The following are some things that I need your expert advice in :

1. The show consists of vertical and horizontal images, all of them with dimension 1080x720. The resolution of the video is set to 1440x1080, so that if the image is vertical, it will be show at the highest resolution FCE can output. I want to have all the vert and horiz images in the show displayed in the same size (i.e. not at the same height, as a horiz image which is same height as a vert image will be much larger). So I am just going to use a square area of 1080x1080 of the 1440x1080 that FCE could output. I am adding the images one by one to the timeline. When I add a vertical image, it top and bottom just match the top and bottom edge of the video. However, if a add a horiz image the image will be enlarged to fit the most of 1440x1080. I do not want this resizing to happen. I found out that I can actually modify the image size one by one by choosing "Image+Wireframe" in the canvas window. However, there is no guide number showing how large the image is when I drag the corner of the wireframe. Also, since I have over 200 images and all the horiz will be same size, is there an efficient way to prevent the enlarging happening or to reduce their size in one batch after they are added to the timeline?

2. Some of the images in the has a fixed place/time in slide show, for example, one may appear exactly at the 103th second. When I add new image to the timeline all the other images will be pushed back. Is there a way to fix the location in time of certain image in the timeline so that even I add new image before it in the timeline I will not shift it forward or backward?

3. Can FCE output in H.264 quicktime format? Currently my show with 200 images @ 600kb each + a 24MB audio track output a quicktime show that has a total of 20G! I need to find a way to size it down.

Many thanks!

avkills · 2009-03-20 11:38 pm

Just an FYI, the 1440x1080 frame size is for HDV and is a anamorphic image. The image is stretched out to 1920x1080 by the display device.

You can make a custom sequence that is 1080x1080, and then import that into a 1920x1080 sequence and then output that to a H.264 movie.

The resulting file can then be imported into Keynote and played. Although if you are not doing any movement on the images -- why not just import them all into Keynote and be done.

-mark

limazita · 2009-03-21 1:44 am

avkills wrote:
Just an FYI, the 1440x1080 frame size is for HDV and is a anamorphic image. The image is stretched out to 1920x1080 by the display device.

You can make a custom sequence that is 1080x1080, and then import that into a 1920x1080 sequence and then output that to a H.264 movie.

The resulting file can then be imported into Keynote and played. Although if you are not doing any movement on the images -- why not just import them all into Keynote and be done.

-mark

As you might have already noticed, my skills in FCE is not much better than my skills in projector blush

How can I make a custom sequence that is 1080x1080? When I create a new sequence in FCE, I right click on the sequence to get to the Properties and then set the pixel aspect from there. However, the pixel aspects are predefined. How can I input my own pixel aspect?

Last edited by limazita (2009-03-21 1:44 am)

avkills · 2009-03-21 9:07 am

limazita wrote:
avkills wrote:
Just an FYI, the 1440x1080 frame size is for HDV and is a anamorphic image. The image is stretched out to 1920x1080 by the display device.

You can make a custom sequence that is 1080x1080, and then import that into a 1920x1080 sequence and then output that to a H.264 movie.

The resulting file can then be imported into Keynote and played. Although if you are not doing any movement on the images -- why not just import them all into Keynote and be done.

-mark
As you might have already noticed, my skills in FCE is not much better than my skills in projector

How can I make a custom sequence that is 1080x1080? When I create a new sequence in FCE, I right click on the sequence to get to the Properties and then set the pixel aspect from there. However, the pixel aspects are predefined. How can I input my own pixel aspect?

You may not be able to -- but you still probably do not want to use 1440x1080 since that is a anamorphic frame size.

-mark

limazita · 2009-03-21 11:52 am

How about 1280x1080? Is it anamorphic as well?

I notice on thing is that even I change to 1280x1080 in Pixel Aspect, the Frame size of the sequence is still 1440x1280 (my images are indeed 1080x720, 1:1.5), how can I change that?

The next predefined Pixel Aspect is 960x720, and there is also one that is called "Square" which does not specify the resolution

avkills · 2009-03-22 4:26 pm

I think you are getting pixel aspect confused with frame size...here how it breaks down.

1920x1080 full frame HD square pixel aspect

1440x1080 anamorphic HD (mostly HDV) square pixel aspect

1280x720 full frame HD square pixel

720x486 full frame NTSC D1 frame non-square pixel (this can also be 16:9 anamorphic video)

720x480 full frame NTSC DV/DVD frame non-square pixel (this can also be 16:9 anamorphic video)

640x480 full frame NTSC square pixel (this was used on early non-linear editors)

The pixel aspect is either going to square or non-square (although they have different values sometimes)

What you want to change is the frame size which I would just use 1920x1080 if it will let you.

-mark

limazita · 2009-03-25 2:11 pm

avkills : thanks a lot for your detail explanation, that really helps to understand how that works

1. Since pixel aspect is the only thing that I can modify in the "Item Properties" in the sequence (I cannot change the frame size at all, or I dont know how to), how does final cut express determine the frame size? Based on the size of my jpeg?

2. When I set 1440x1080 as my pixel ration, when I add a horizontal image that is 1440x1080 to the sequence, it is "squeezed" such that the height is less than that of the original image, no change in the width; however, when I add a vertical image to the sequence, the image is not squeezed. I could not understand why FCE squeeze one but not the other

3. What I do now is I resize all the horizontal image by dragging its image wireframe, but it is difficult to be accurate with this method. Would you suggest another way of doing that?

Thanks in advance

Papa Romeo · 2009-03-25 5:46 pm

In the Viewer, go to the Motion tab and look for the Scale slider. Scale lets you choose the size of any objects on the timeline.

limazita · 2009-03-25 7:29 pm

Papa Romeo wrote:
In the Viewer, go to the Motion tab and look for the Scale slider. Scale lets you choose the size of any objects on the timeline.

Yes, that is what have been suggested to me

However, as I mentioned, since the horizontal images are squeezed when I put them on the timeline, FCE assumes that the squeezed version is 100% already, so I have to enlarge the image along its height one by one

Forums | MacLife

#1 2009-03-20 10:32 pm

Need to learn efficiency tricks from Final cut experts

#2 2009-03-20 11:38 pm

Re: Need to learn efficiency tricks from Final cut experts

#3 2009-03-21 1:44 am

Re: Need to learn efficiency tricks from Final cut experts

avkills wrote:

#4 2009-03-21 9:07 am

Re: Need to learn efficiency tricks from Final cut experts

limazita wrote:

avkills wrote:

#5 2009-03-21 11:52 am

Re: Need to learn efficiency tricks from Final cut experts

#6 2009-03-22 4:26 pm

Re: Need to learn efficiency tricks from Final cut experts

#7 2009-03-25 2:11 pm

Re: Need to learn efficiency tricks from Final cut experts

#8 2009-03-25 5:46 pm

Re: Need to learn efficiency tricks from Final cut experts

#9 2009-03-25 7:29 pm

Re: Need to learn efficiency tricks from Final cut experts

Papa Romeo wrote:

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