Pictures, panning, and backgrounds in Movie Studio-dvd

PuppyDogMom wrote on 4/10/2005, 4:43 AM
I'm using backgrounds for still photos. Problem is that when I pan, the photo does not completely overlay the background. Rather, the edges of the picture appear to move under the background, not completely over it. I've got the background on video line and the pictures on video overlay. Is there a way to make the background REALLY a background instead of a "frame"?

Comments

riredale wrote on 4/10/2005, 9:14 AM
First off, I'm not sure this is the correct forum, since Movie Studio is a different product from Sony Vegas. Nonetheless, the two products are so similar, the solution might be similar also.

I think what you're saying is that you have a 4:3 aspect ratio still photo used as an overlay for some video on a separate line. If this is true, then you notice that there are narrow bars at the left and right sides of the preview window. This is because DV is not 4:3, but slightly wider, so the 4:3 overlay doesn't go to the extreme left and right sides of the video image.

First of all, no one will notice it in most cases because most TV sets cut off 10% of the image (5% on each side and top and bottom). But PC-based viewers such as WinDVD and PowerDVD can see the entire frame. One simple solution is to right-click on the still photo in the timeline and uncheck the box named "Keep aspect ratio." At least that's the way it works in Vegas. With the box unchecked, the image will stretch all the way to the left and right borders.

Of course, doing the above will slightly distort the still image. The more accurate way of covering would be to use a photo-editingn program such as Paint Shop Pro to trim the top and bottom of the original photo in order the match the aspect ratio of the video.
BillyBoy wrote on 4/10/2005, 10:07 AM
Not to put too fine a point on it but in Vegas clicking on the image in the pan/view work space then right clicking will cause undersized source material to zoom to fill the frame without distorting the aspect ratio. This also will get rid of black areas but without distorting aspect ratios. The downside is frequently the zoom amount can cut off more of the source then you want. If or not this feature is supported in Movie Studio, don't know.
Spot|DSE wrote on 4/10/2005, 11:40 AM
Yes.
Click the FX button on the photo in Movie Studio.
The dialog for FX, Pan, General opens up.
Click the Pan/Crop Tab
In this dialog, grab a handle and stretch it way out. You'll probably need to set the Magify View value to less than 50 to best accomplish this.

After you stretch it out, you'll see in the Preview window at correct/modified size. If it needs to be centered, right click in the Pan dialog and choose Center. Otherwise, just rotate it or position it to your desire.