[This article was first published in the Feb/March, 2008, issue of
Larry's Final Cut Pro Newsletter. Click here to subscribe.]

Skip Hall writes:

I think I'd like to try a project in 16:9 format, since many of my clients have widescreen LCDs and such these days. There's no WAY I'm ready to even THINK about going HD, but I thought that I might be able to make things look a little better if I could fill a screen a bit more.

Is it an impossible dream with a couple of aging Canons and FCP, or can it be done? If so, can the steps be condensed down to less than a dozen, or will more college be required?

Larry replies: Piece of cake. The key is to frame your images during shooting so that you can crop about 10% off the top and bottom of the image during editing. Things get MUCH more complex if you frame your material during shooting as 4:3, then decide later during editing to make it 16:9.

Assuming your images are framed properly, the easiest way to convert them from 4:3 into 16:9 is as follows:

1. When editing is complete, create a new sequence

2. Double-click the new sequence to load it into the timeline.

3. Choose Sequence > Settings

4. In the General tab, change the Aspect ratio to Custom 16:9

5. Make sure the sequence size (to the left of the Aspect Ratio pop-up menu) is set to 720 x 405.

6. Drag the edited sequence from the Browser into your new, 16:9 sequence

7. It will come in pillar-boxed, because Final Cut always scales a larger image so that the entire image is visible when it is edited to a sequence smaller than the original image size.

8. Option+double-click the sequence you just edited into the timeline to load it into the Viewer (if you just double-click it, you'll open the original sequence for editing).

9. Go to the Motion tab and change the scale percentage from about 84% to 100%. Your image will zoom up to full resolution edge-to-edge, while retaining it's 16:9 shape.

10. Export and compress as you would any other video, just remember to choose an Anamorphic setting for Compressor to retain the 16:9 aspect ratio.

 

Related Article: Converting 16:9 to 4:3

Larry Jordan is a post-production consultant and an Apple-Certified Trainer in Digital Media with over 25 years experience as producer, director and editor with network, local and corporate credits. Based in Los Angeles, he's a member of both the Directors Guild of America and the Producers Guild of America.

The information in this article is believed to be accurate at the time of publication. However, the author assumes no liability in case things go wrong. Please use your best judgment in applying these suggestions.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. This newsletter has not been reviewed or sanctioned by Apple or any other third party. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are mentioned here for editorial purposes only.

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