Shot in 4:3...

I believe the easiest way to do this is to create a mask in Photoshop or some other paint program, or in Vegas (it's called cookie cutter in Vegas). The problem with using the pan/crop tools are that not only the top and bottom of the video will be resized, but also the left and right sides so you will end up with the black frame around all sides of the video instead of just the top and bottom.

How do you get this in cookie cutter, when I take the size down the aspect is locked and doesnt work.

Don’t know if this will help, but I just finished a project that had some problems I solved in a way that may work for you. The film was shot as 4:3 but in a letterbox format - using a special setting on the camera, the upper and lower borders were “blacked out” while filming, giving the appearance of widescreen. Anyway, I wound up needing to add some footage that was shot as regular 4:3. Also, I used some effects in certain places (like glow) that showed on the entire 4:3 frame (INCLUDING in the blacked out areas) unless I did something about it. My solution to these problems, which I think may work for you, was:

1) Insert 2 new video tracks in position 1 and position 2.
2) For both tracks, insert generated media and make it solid color – black.
3) Make black generated media in tracks 1 and 2 as long as your entire movie.
4) Click on track motion button for track 1. Make sure “Lock aspect ratio” and “Size about center” are OFF. Make sure arrows sitting underneath “Size about center” are set on “move in y only”. Now click and drag button at TOP center of blue frame DOWN until y is at a value of 406.
5) Do exactly the same for track 2, but click and drag the button at the BOTTOM center of the blue frame UP until y is at a value of 74.

Now you have a mask that gives the appearance of widescreen. The settings of 74 and 406 are not mandatory, of course – you may make the mask any size you wish.

Of course, masking an entire film like this means the shooters saw it this way through the camera while they were filming (except for the short clips I added in post which were carefully screened before using). If you already have a lot of footage that wasn't seen this way as it was being shot, you may run into problems. You may find yourslef panning and cropping yourself to death. Good luck.

JCG

Or, you could use Satish's 3D LE plugin which allows you to crop each side individually.

PluginPac Suite of Vegas Plugins

Oh yeah, I completely forgot about the Satish plugin! Use that!

Dan, it's good to see you back surfing the Forum.

Jessie

Hi Jessie,

Yep, I still lurk here occasionally. (lot's of knowledgeable people willing to teach me new things on this forum)
I couldn't help but notice that you first replied to this thread at 1:30am and, what amazed me most, your advice was coherent at that ungodly hour.

-Dan

I generally use the 16:9 preset in Pan/Crop because that gives me some extra creative control for each scene. It's kind of like Super 35 that way.

Someone said you'd get borders on the sides too, that's not true.

Wow! Thanks Roger 74. I had no idea that preset was there (16:9 in pan/crop). I just checked it out and it works great. Too bad I didn't know about it one month ago, but I'm glad I know now. This Forum has been so helpful for me.

Dan, yes, I am definitely the night owl. How's your project coming along? Did you decide to use the "24" box look for those straight-on interview shots that needed to be cut in challenging places? Have you had a chance to play with that approach yet?

Jesssie

The way I always do this is to right click and use the match output aspect.

I have the project set up as PAL Widescreen, using the 16:9 preset may be NTSC only, in PAL there are definate bars left and right using the preset.

Cheers, Paul