iMovie '11 - final video is zoomed in, original footage is not, what did I do?

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Level 1

8 points

iMovie '11 - final video is zoomed in, original footage is not, what did I do?

I've imported clips from original raw footage of a lecture into a project so I can edit out some minor issues. The original footage is in HD and wide screen 16:9. The orginal footage show the lecturer and the screen, the clip once dropped into the project looks as if it is cropped or zoomed and is showing only a protion of the lecturer and 2/3 or the powerpoint screen (see screen shots below). What is causing this zoomed in effect and how can I revert to the original?

Thanks!
Scott

Raw Footage

Zoomed in Final Video in Edited Project

iMovie '11, Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on Dec 12, 2012 8:36 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

AppleMan1958

Level 7

27,492 points

Dec 12, 2012 8:42 AM in response to turnersc

This can be caused in two ways.

1) It looks like your project has a 16:9 aspect ratio. If you event clips were shot in a 4:3 aspect ratio, they can be made to fit into the 16:9 frame in two ways. 1) You can letter box. 2) You can crop. You can select these two options in the Rotate, Crop, Ken Burns Tool on the middle toolbar. Crop will cut off the top and bottom of the frame to make it fit.

2) You may have automatic image stabilization turned on. Image stabilization works by zooming in. You can turn off image stabilization in the clip inspector.

Looking at your photos, it looks to me like it is stabilization that is causing your problem. The footage must be quite shaky. In the future, a tripod will cure this. For this project, just turn off stabilization.

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Answer 2

turnersc Author

Level 1

8 points

Dec 12, 2012 9:29 AM in response to AppleMan1958

AppleMan1958,

Thank you very much for the assistance. The problem was the stabalization setting as you suggested. Once I de-selected it the footage returned to it's original size. Thanks again, you are a real life saver!

Scott

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Answer 3

Aug 16, 2015 8:02 AM in response to AppleMan1958

Please can you tell me exactly how to turn off the wretched stabilization which has cropped & messed up my video? I've tried opening the 'clip inspector' but it gives no option to remove or turn off the stabilization. Please, please don't tell me I need to re-make all of the projects from scratch; it has taken me days to put together 6 short videos, all of which are now cropped so much they are unusable!

Thanks for any help; I am getting really desperate here!

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