Is it possible to crop without zooming?

Kami_1 wrote on 4/12/2013, 10:32 PM

(Movie Edit Pro MX-18, Win 7)

Hi all,

I started using a new camcorder and forgot about setting the aspect ratio to 4x3 till after I used it several times.

All my other videos are 4x3, and MEP didn't complain when I combined one with the 16:9. However, if possible, I'd like to convert the 16:9 video to 4:3. When I changed the aspect ratio with the Movement effect Section, I used 4:3 landscape, the video was zoomed. With Size/Position and Section, the video was also distorted.

Changing the aspect ratio in the Properties windows causes distortion. Exporting with 4:3 checked doesn't change it either. I didn't find anything else to try in Help.

Maybe there's some specific setting to try? If not, and I leave these videos in 16:9 hope this doesn't cause the menu design to go into 16:9.

Related to this, sort of. This is the first time I've worked with 16:9. I can't figure out how to do an Image Stabilization without the black border moving. Is it because I opted not to adjust the screen when I imported the video?

Thanks much.

Comments

terrypin wrote on 4/13/2013, 2:36 AM

Hi Kami,

I'm not sure I follow. Do you simply want MEP to automatically crop your 16:9 source to 4:3 and fill the screen? Like this:

Or for better quality: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4019461/MEP-AspectChanging-1.jpg

Or for better quality: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4019461/MEP-AspectChanging-2.jpg

Presumably you don't want it to look like this:

Or for better quality: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4019461/MEP-AspectChanging-3.jpg

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

johnebaker wrote on 4/13/2013, 3:11 AM

Hi Kami

Crop with out zooming will leave the image/video with black borders all around - is this what you want? In which case if you look at Terry's third image you will see the Fill screen opton is unchecked - you uncheck this before cropping.

For full screen you have to lose part of the image and 'zoom'. I rarely use the crop/zoom function, assuming the project is 4:3 and the 16:9 is appearing letter boxed ie with black bars top and bottom but full width then:

Select the video object, in Effects, Movement effects, Size/position and set the height to the same as the project, the width will move in proportion. You can now use the left setting or mouse to move the image left/right to get the section you want. If you use the mouse and and accidentally move the image up/down set the Top setting back to 0

16:9 image in 4:3 project

Setting for above

16:9 image in 4:3 project - height and position adjusted

Settings for above

Note: the left setting is -300 this is correct, negative numbers will move the left edge of the image off screen to the left, same for the Top setting if you set this to a negative number will move the top of the image upwards off the screen.

Image stabilisation:

If the image is letter boxed or already cropped and not filling the screen then you must do the stabilistion before any cropping.

For full screen you must have the Suppress black borders caused by picture stretching option checked and Maximum displacement set to 10% a greater setting then this can make the stabilisation produce black borders.

If the video is already stabilised in the camera make sure you check the Prestabilsed option as well otherwise you can get a strange effect where the camera has stabilised in one direction, MEP also wants to stabilse in the same direction and the result is worse then the original - this is rare but I have had it happen.

HTH

John

Kami_1 wrote on 4/13/2013, 12:49 PM

Hi Terry, thanks for the examples.

Item 2, the one I left in this reply, is what I want, because I want the results to have the same size and aspect as the rest of the 4:3 / 720x480 videos. After reading John's reply and trying the settings, I think what I want isn't possible. Unfortunately, my video just isn't good enough for it to be zoomed, which is what happens when I don't want a border.

Kami

Hi Kami,

I'm not sure I follow.

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

Kami_1 wrote on 4/13/2013, 1:15 PM

Hi John. Thanks so much for the instructions and s-caps.

Cropping, etc. .... I don't want the borders. It took some tries, but I finally got it to your "specs." It still looks a bit distorted when I fill the screen (with keep proportions checked).

Then I copied a 4:3 object from another video alongside the object I was changing. They're not exactly the same size, even though they're both 720x480 (not sure you can see this in the s-cap). Also, as I mentioned to Terry, my videos aren't good enough to be zoomed. Maybe I should try it with borders. I'll keep experimenting, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave the 16:9 videos as is, and hope the menu design stays 4:3.

Stabilization: I did it before changing anything on the 16:9 videos. Displacement at 10. Same results with both pre-stablized and not pre-stablized options. When I tried it with an object that I had changed, there was only a black border on the left side which was moving.... even though I don't see any border before stabilizing.

As an aside.... I've been using the not pre-stablized option (even though I have stabilized set in the cams). Overall, I get better results than when pre-stablized is checked.

Thanks again!

Kami

Hi Kami

Crop with out zooming will leave the image/video with black borders all around - is this what you want? In which case if you look at Terry's third image you will see the Fill screen opton is unchecked - you uncheck this before cropping.

For full screen you have to lose part of the image and 'zoom'. I rarely use the crop/zoom function, assuming the project is 4:3 and the 16:9 is appearing letter boxed ie with black bars top and bottom but full width then:

Select the video object, in Effects, Movement effects, Size/position and set the height to the same as the project, the width will move in proportion. You can now use the left setting or mouse to move the image left/right to get the section you want. If you use the mouse and and accidentally move the image up/down set the Top setting back to 0

Note: the left setting is -300 this is correct, negative numbers will move the left edge of the image off screen to the left, same for the Top setting if you set this to a negative number will move the top of the image upwards off the screen.

Image stabilisation:

If the image is letter boxed or already cropped and not filling the screen then you must do the stabilistion before any cropping.

For full screen you must have the Suppress black borders caused by picture stretching option checked and Maximum displacement set to 10% a greater setting then this can make the stabilisation produce black borders.

If the video is already stabilised in the camera make sure you check the Prestabilsed option as well otherwise you can get a strange effect where the camera has stabilised in one direction, MEP also wants to stabilse in the same direction and the result is worse then the original - this is rare but I have had it happen.

HTH

John