Perhaps I'm doing things the hard way (wouldn't be the first time), but I find using a PNG (or TGA with alpha channel) works best for me. I drop it on the uppermost track and stretch it the length of the project. This lets me us P/C and track motion to adjust shots within the letterbox if the framing was not quite right.

You can adjust the letterbox in the pan/crop tool, too.

J--

Randy,
After going back to FCP for the night, i can't figure out how anyone is doing this with one click/step. Takes me 3.
You have to:
Change project properties to a new sequence.
Drag finished edited sequence into new sequence.
Apply Effects > Video > Matte > Widescreen.
Then render if you want to see it. (unless source was DV)

Is there a way to set 16:9 "bars" over a 4:3 picture, all the way through a project?

same as JohnnyMac said.. use a .png that contains the bars.. uppermost track and stretch the length of your project.

randyvild2 - I'd love to see your friends magic button for one touch 16:9 in FCP - Spot's right... at least 2 steps, like Vegas.

Probably the best way is to drop a graphic image on a top track to create the bars. Like this one...
http://www.indigipix.com/images/letterbox.png


I suppose you could use a gradient generator to create a letter box if you could get the control points close enough together.


JBJones.

Thanx all. I used JohnnyMac's method before. Guess I'll stick with it.

Yes it probably is not "one click" you know Mac users always thinking they have the best computers and programs on earth.
I used the Pan Crop adjustment and WOW works perfectly!
When I went to render this I noticed in AVI render area that there is an adjustment for WIDESCREEN...what would this do? The same job?

I *think* you use this setting if you used an anamorphic lens on your cam when you shot... not sure though...

If you really want an almost one click solution - just spend the 20 bucks and get the zenote letterbox plug-in.

I have about 3 png's that I though I got from a post here a while back .
has ntsc 1:85 ,2:35 and 16x9 .
If anybody wants them I can email them to ya
they are 720 x 480 508 dpi
I use them to overlay on a separate vid track.

Filmy, et al, I still don't understand the need to buy something else (Zenote) or use something else (PNGs) to accomplish something that Vegas can already do.

J--

If you have a clip already rendered in letterbox and render it again in another project with the same settings how do you prevent the expansion of the overscan?

JJK

Now I'm really showing my ignorance. Why would there be any expansion from one render to the next?

J--

Well, when my 2.66 x1 scope got processed from film to tape it came out somewhere around 2.3 x 1. After rendering (720 x 480) it came out
more like about 2.1 x 1, and if I render it again its chopped again and almost looks like 16 x 9. I must be overlooking something here.

JJK