Comments

jetdv wrote on 12/29/2004, 8:33 AM
Put a mask on the top track over the entire area that should be letterboxed.
scissorfighter wrote on 12/29/2004, 8:54 AM
Cookie cutter will do this easy. To elaborate on Jetdv's post (or rather, to suggest an alternative), just insert a new video track above your existing track. Throw a piece of black solid color generated media on this track. Then, use cookie cutter to "cut away section" of a rectangle that reveals the 2.1:1 rectangular media on the track below. You may have have to use two cookie cutters side-by-side to get the full coverage, since you can't adjust the aspect ratio of the rectangular hole, only the size. But you end up with a mask that hides the letterboxing of the track below, and then you can apply a transition to the lower track.

Of course you can do it the other way around as well, placing the 2.1:1 footage on the upper track and the black media on the lower track, and then using cookie cutter "cut away all but section" on the upper track.
JJKizak wrote on 12/29/2004, 9:27 AM
OK Thanks.

JJK
JJKizak wrote on 12/29/2004, 10:11 AM
The double cookie cutter worked. I keep forgetting that I am limited but V5 is not.

JJK
farss wrote on 12/29/2004, 1:13 PM
Although this works fine I think you still have an issue, the FXs are being calculated accross the whole frame, for example a page curl now starts in an area that's being masked off. That may or may not bother you. I think technically you should do all the work on the video without letterboxing, render it out and then letterbox.
Bob.
scissorfighter wrote on 12/29/2004, 2:25 PM
Bob is definately correct, but I think JJKs source footage is 4:3 format with black bars top and bottom, so he doesn't have that option as it's already "pre-letterboxed." I'm just guessing based on the aspect ratio mentioned in his original post, and that this is the most likely scenario where he'd encounter the problem. Is that correct JJK?

JJKizak wrote on 12/29/2004, 2:55 PM
Absolutely correct. It's 4 x 3 with 2.5 x 1 letterboxed to tape which ended up about 2.1 x 1 by the pro lab that cut off the ends. I captured it from Beta SP and it ended up 2.1 x 1. It's not distorted but they just lind of cut some off the ends as my taking lens was 2.66 x 1 (the old days) The only thing I didn't like about it was the resolution suffered a tweek. I have to set all the clips to 16 x 9 options then the prefernces also.. It comes out OK weather it's 4 x 3 or 16 x 9 letterbox as viewed on the tv set. Actually comes out a hair larger than the 2.3 x 1 DVD's so it's ok. A render run through (which I always do on these tricky things) looked good. A lot of the transistions worked ok except the ones that zoomed and did a lot of acrobatics. The one I used was cubes.

JJK