Do transitions only render in 4x3??? I need 16x9!!!

belsokar wrote on 5/10/2003, 3:56 AM

Hi, I am editing some 16x9 content in Vegas4. The project properties are set to NTSC DV Widescreen. In the preview monitor, I select 'Simulate Device Aspect Ratio'. I insert a Flash transition between two events in the timeline, and everything displays properly in the video preview window. HOWEVER, when I come to render a windows media file, the video is now letterboxed within a 4x3 frame...(which is alright with me), but when the flash transition occurs, it fills up the entire 4x3 area instead of just the letterboxed 16x9 area. As can be imagined, I want the letterboxing to remain letterboxing the entire time,...how can I limit the transitions to only the widescreen 16x9 area??? Thanks

Comments

mikkie wrote on 5/10/2003, 7:29 AM

Wellll, I wouldn't render a winmedia (or any streaming codec) file letterboxed - just doesn't work/compress well. Try setting your winmedia encode to render to the 16 x 9 window or frame size you want to eliminate the letterboxing -> the player will letterbox it if you go fullscreen, and otherwise just show the 16 x 9 frame size.

As to what's likely happening, the computer generated stuff doesn't have an aspect ratio yet or anything, doesn't know it's not supposed to fit the full frame as set up. Vegas is smart enough to know on the other hand that if it expands your 16 x 9 video to 4:3, folks are going to look mighty thin - so it doesn't unless you force it to.

belsokar wrote on 5/10/2003, 2:07 PM

well this may be a stupid question, but how do I render to a 16x9 frame size in Vegas? I've played with a bunch of settings, but to no avail...everything I try seems to render the final video letterboxed in a 4x3 frame instead of a 16x9 frame. Eventhough the source material is 16x9...any tips?

Thanks

farss wrote on 5/10/2003, 5:02 PM

Are you looking at it on a 16x9 monitor?
If not, thats the only way it can be displayed. To display at 16x9 correctly the monitor needs to have a different pixel aspect ratio as I understand it.

I'd try rendering it out to something and playing that on a native 16x9 device.

pb wrote on 5/10/2003, 6:13 PM

16:9 is very simple to do, even with a 4:3 monitor. Capture your clips in wide screen then set the project properties to 4:3. Now you are letter boxed. DO your editing then render as 4:3, letter boxed. No problems. We switched to 16:9 at work for all new projects and Vegas does just as well as the grossly overpriced AVID Media Composers, albeit much, much slower. At home I shoot my son's antics and family adventures with our little Sony PC9 in 16:9 mode and edit the same way. Canon XL1 door stopper also does 16:9 but the viewfinder doesn't change its aspect ratio, making composition a bit of a challenge. THe other posters are correct regarding your need for a monitor that supports 16:9; however, they are terribly expensive so at home I get by with the Sony 14MU? 4:3 I bought a few years ago.

Peter

SonyDennis wrote on 5/10/2003, 8:01 PM

I agree that you shouldn't render WMV letterboxed, it's a waste of bandwidth. Create a 16:9 template.

If you must (perhaps to another format), render to a 16:9 DV file first, then create a new project using just that clip, and render to the non-16:9 format. This will ensure that all transitions, etc., run in 16:9. The letterbox will get applied in the final render.

///d@