Can't render 720-pixel width

guitarsenall wrote on 4/22/2010, 8:00 AM
Help!

I am unable to render a 720x480 video in which my 1920x1080 track fills the 720x480 frame. Instead, its rendered width is only 640 pixels, which corresponds to the other track containing a 640x480 video.

My project contains two video tracks. The first track in the sequence was taken from my camera (30.000 fps, 640x480x24, Sony Motion JPEG) and occupies roughly the first and last ten seconds. The middle portion is occupied by the other track containing 1920x1080 video (30.000 fps, 1920x1080x24, FRAPS).

Attachment,
http://www.willsongs.com/misc/gamin_video_project_b.jpg,
shows the project. The preview window shows how the 1920x1080 track SHOULD be rendered (720 wide, though I don't understand why it is letterboxed on top and bottom). But the attachment,
http://www.willsongs.com/misc/gamin_video_output_a.jpg,
shows how it actually gets rendered; the frame is only 640 pixels wide (the media player window is stretched to expose all the video at 100%).

Attachment,
http://www.willsongs.com/misc/gamin_video_project_a.jpg,
shows the project with the timeline on the first track. The parent video is selected in the project media window. I am wondering if the renderer takes the output dimensions from this track and overrides the dimensions of the 1920x1080 track. If so, how do I force it to behave properly.

By the way, the rendering was correct when I set the output to 1280x720 (HDV 720-30), but the file type is different (.m2t rather than .mpg).

What am I missing here? How do I force the rendered output to be 720 pixels wide?

Thanks,
Will

Comments

Eugenia wrote on 4/22/2010, 2:50 PM
The bulk of your video contains 1080p video, so don't force Vegas to use 720x480 (are you trying to burn a DVD? There's no other reason to use 720x480 if not). 720x480 is not a 16:9 resolution that 1080p is, especially if you're not using the right aspect ratio. And since most media players don't read correctly the aspect ratio bit, avoid such resolutions/ratio combos.

So, open project properties, use the "match media" icon in that dialog to "read" from one of your 1080p videos. The frame rate will be 30.00 fps, which is fine, since BOTH your kinds of videos are 30.00 fps and not 29.97 fps. If you prefer 29.97 fps, then you must "disable resample" on all your tracks in the timeline before you export.

Then, set your previewing to preview/auto (you currently have it at best/full), otherwise you might experience slowness during 1080p editing.

Now, edit in that 1920x1080 timeline. Your VGA video will just have vertical letterboxing, that's normal. VGA is 4:3, while the rest of your video is 16:9. Nothing much you can do about it, other than stretch it using pan/crop.

Then, export like this, at 1280x720 at 30.00 fps (or 29.97 fps if you prefer a more NTSC-compatible frame rate): http://eugenia.gnomefiles.org/2007/11/09/exporting-with-vegas-for-vimeo-hd/
guitarsenall wrote on 4/22/2010, 5:37 PM
Thank you. You have given a bunch of tips I need to follow up on.

But, for now, yes, I would like to burn a DVD that I can watch on my 16x9 screen. But, you are right, I failed to notice 720x480 is not 16x9. But it is closer than 655x480, so I would like to be able to achieve it (since the software claims I can).

You were right on with the 1280x720 recommendation. That is what I am using for the YouTube version, and it is rendering just fine using the HDV 720-30 template. Now if I can just get it to upload......

Support told me to use pan/crop to match the output, but it is not working. Here is what I replied to them:

Thank you for making me aware of the event pan/crop tool. However, after trying every possible combination of cropping and stretching I can think of, I cannot render a 720-pixel-wide video. Thirteen attempts all produce 655x480 images (see render_study.xls). I can send other files if you need. I also find it curious that I cannot get a 30.000 fps frame rate; it is always 29.97 fps.

Again, your help is appreciated.
Will
Eugenia wrote on 4/23/2010, 1:11 PM
Setup and edit as I mentioned, disable resample at the end on ALL clips in the timeline, and then export using the mpeg2 NTSC Widescreen DVD template for video, and AC3 for audio. DVD Architect will then put together for you a widescreen DVD.