GL-2 and Vegas 6: 16:9 Format

CVM wrote on 10/26/2006, 5:45 PM

Quick question... I shot some test footage using my Canon GL-2's '16:9' feature. When this feature is selected, the videoin the viewfinder gets squished so everything appears taller and thinner (this is not the problem).

When I capture the footage into Vegas using VidCap, the aspect ratio of the footage is 16:9 as it should be (not squished)... everything good so far. When I place the footage into Vegas in a normal 4:3 aspect ratio project and render to WMF (the final output), it renders in 16:9 mode just like I want it to.

Here's the question... when would I choose 'NTSC DV Widescreen' from the project properties dropdown setup menu if Vegas renders widescreen-shot footage the way it should in a 4:3 project? Also, in the properties dropdown menu, why does both the 4:3 normal mode and 16:9 widescreen mode have (720x480) after their names? Shouldn't the aspect be different?

Ultimately, I want a WMF 16:9 video on the web. Should I be doing something else?

Thanks!

Comments

TeetimeNC wrote on 10/27/2006, 5:16 AM

Vegasbaby,

I can help with some of this. I too shoot with a GL2. I tried the 16:9 from the camera but all it is really doing is cropping your 4:3, so I now shoot 4:3 and when I want widescreen I set my Vegas 6 project to NTSC DV Widescreen and pan/crop window to match project aspect ratio. The reason both 16:9 and 4:3 are 720x480 is because it is the aspect ration of the pixel that changes. Since you are rendering for the web, and computer monitors use square pixels, you will have to use a 16:9 ratio in your render size. For example, I often render widescreen for the web as 500x276 which will give the proper widescreen look on the web.

Jerry

QueenGeek wrote on 10/28/2006, 6:13 AM

Cool! I too shoot with a GL-2 and just started (a few weeks ago) playing with the 16:9 ratio. This info will help me a lot!