pixel dimensions for still images

Question

pixel dimensions for still images

Hello all,

I have just ran into a problem that seems to be a sizing problem with Final Cut Express HD. I used to crop my still pics to 1366 px - 768 px (for landscape) and then import them to FCE and export as a quicktime movie. When I brought the quicktime movie into iDVD and created the DVD it seemed to play great on my 46" Samsung tv -- full screen.

I just recently bought a Samsung 60" and when I create the same type of movies, I am getting a huge black border around the whole image (not just top and bottom but sides too). I tried creating a new movie and made all my still images 1920px x 1080 px, and it still comes out the same way.

I can stretch my tv so that they go full screen, but I think there should be a way to create the movie without having to stretch it....just have the tv set for 16:9, and I feel that it should work.

Any help would be greatly appreciated...thanks.

Norm

Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Nov 5, 2013 5:16 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Meg The Dog

Level 6

13,561 points

Nov 5, 2013 5:48 PM in response to Norm Johnstone

When you create a DVD, no matter what the pixel dimensions of your original material, it become 720x480 Standard Definition. This is what a DVD is. If you are creating a DVD that has material that is 16x9, then it creates a DVD that is 720x480 but plays back anamorphic, stretching to create the 16x9 screen.

If you play one of your older DVDs that played correctly on your previous TV, does it play correctly or does it also exhibit the black bars?

If it plays correctly then something has changed in the way you are creating your project in FCE.and encoding and burning the DVD.

If the older DVDs also exhibit the same playback problem, then I believe there is a menu setting on your new TV that will tell it how to display Standard Definition material from your DVD player, and you need to adjust that. (There are also settings in the set-top DVD player that tells it what kind of signal to send based on the what kind of display it is hooked up to.)

MtD

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Answer 2

Nov 5, 2013 5:57 PM in response to Meg The Dog

Hello Meg,

Thank-you for the advice. Since I posted my question I went back to square one and started checking the settings on my set-top DVD (blu-ray) player...and indeed it was a setting. I changed the setting and now my movies that I create are back to being 16:9 full screen--great!!

One other question for you...what is the pixel dimension that I should be using - 720x480?? Will this give me the same output/resolution/clarity as the way I am currently sizing the pics (1366 px x 768 px)??

Thanks Meg.

Norm

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Answer 3

Meg The Dog

Level 6

13,561 points

Nov 5, 2013 6:39 PM in response to Norm Johnstone

In FCE, you can use a still image as long as

1) it is sized less than 4000 px in the widest dimension

2) it is in RGB color mode

3) it is 8 bits/channel

When you place (edit) the image to your FCE timeline, you are fitting it into the frame of the dimensions set by FCE sequence settings - 720 x 480 for SD, or 1920 x 1080 if you are using a HD timeline.

The clarity that you get is dependent on many factors, and as you are probably already aware, there is a tremendous quality loss between viewing the images in native resolution on a computer screen and the compressed results of going to DVD.

Your new TV may have a USB port that accepts a USB stick drive (many do), you may want to see if the owner's manual has instructions for viewing your images as digital files from a USB memory stick.

MtD

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