A couple of members of the Jersey Camcorder Club are now happily editing with IMovie - one set up in 2008 and the other 2009. However, although they are both filming in 16:9 format, as requested for a club film, the result when produced on a DVD is in 4:3 format, with long thin people. Although we can rescue the footage by stretching it when importing to the project timeline, this is not a satisfactory solution, and I'm sure the matter can be able to be resolved by changing some settings.
I believe it is to do with Quicktime files, and we were given a solution, but it was for an earlier version of IMovie and apparently did not work.
I'm sorry if the issue has already been dealt with in previous posts, but I would be grateful if someone could explain what I should suggest to my members to do.
Thanks - Annette
DVD problems with IMovie
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tom hardwick
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- Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 9:59 am
Re: DVD problems with IMovie
Annette - you don't say how the finished DVD is being viewed. 4:3 and 16:9 are both 720 x 576 in standard definition, so a lot of the display problems come down to the fact that the DVD player's menu hasn't been told the aspect ratio of the TV it's feeding, or the projector hasn't been set up correctly.
Another thought that occurs to me is that the members may be filming in the 16:9 aspect ratio, but are (unwittingly) filming everything on 4:3 cameras in the masked-down 4:3 mode, so making (in effect) a 4:3 film.
tom.
Another thought that occurs to me is that the members may be filming in the 16:9 aspect ratio, but are (unwittingly) filming everything on 4:3 cameras in the masked-down 4:3 mode, so making (in effect) a 4:3 film.
tom.
Last edited by tom hardwick on Wed Sep 15, 2010 4:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: DVD problems with IMovie
Hi Tom - Thanks for trying to help. I have been considering the suggestions you put forward to see if they will track down the problem.
I have established that at least one of the camcorders used is a Canon HD HG20, and I think it should produce a 'true' 16:9 picture. Certainly it was correct when I captured the unedited material directly from the camcorder and placed it in the project. And the edited DVD played correctly through the DVD player on to a television, and could be captured in the correct format from there using the analogue connections.
But when the DVD is played on any PC that I have tried, it plays in a 4:3 format, and when the file was imported using a DVD to avi converter, the clip was 4:3.
Up until yesterday I have had to import DVDs using the converter, due to a problem with my software, but that has now been resolved, so maybe the solution for me will now be to import the material through the analogue connection. But I know other members have also tried to edit using material from these gentlemen with the same problems that I found. And when we show their films at Club they are 4:3 - but possibly that is due to an incorrect setting on the projector, as you suggested.
As no one else has made any suggestions, I presume this is not a common problem with a simple solution, as I had hoped, but thank you for trying.
Annette
I have established that at least one of the camcorders used is a Canon HD HG20, and I think it should produce a 'true' 16:9 picture. Certainly it was correct when I captured the unedited material directly from the camcorder and placed it in the project. And the edited DVD played correctly through the DVD player on to a television, and could be captured in the correct format from there using the analogue connections.
But when the DVD is played on any PC that I have tried, it plays in a 4:3 format, and when the file was imported using a DVD to avi converter, the clip was 4:3.
Up until yesterday I have had to import DVDs using the converter, due to a problem with my software, but that has now been resolved, so maybe the solution for me will now be to import the material through the analogue connection. But I know other members have also tried to edit using material from these gentlemen with the same problems that I found. And when we show their films at Club they are 4:3 - but possibly that is due to an incorrect setting on the projector, as you suggested.
As no one else has made any suggestions, I presume this is not a common problem with a simple solution, as I had hoped, but thank you for trying.
Annette
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tom hardwick
- Posts: 914
- Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 9:59 am
Re: DVD problems with IMovie
If your cameramen have filmed in HDV or HD, then the footage will be 16:9 by default. If they had their cameras switched to SD then they could opt to film in 4:3 or 16:9.
Your tests when playing the DVD into a TV show that the 16:9 aspect ratio settings for capture, edit, burn and display are correct and are being maintained.
The problem seems to be only when this DVD is played in a PC which has me confused. Does the DVD to avi converter have any settings you can check? It's obviously much better to do a digital transfer this way rather than go D > A and back to D again. I've done this and can easily see the losses.
tom.
Your tests when playing the DVD into a TV show that the 16:9 aspect ratio settings for capture, edit, burn and display are correct and are being maintained.
The problem seems to be only when this DVD is played in a PC which has me confused. Does the DVD to avi converter have any settings you can check? It's obviously much better to do a digital transfer this way rather than go D > A and back to D again. I've done this and can easily see the losses.
tom.
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Dave Watterson
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- Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 11:11 pm
- Location: Bath, England
- Contact:
Re: DVD problems with IMovie
I have found that it pays to look for an "interpret footage as" option and apply it at each stage of the process from camera to DVD.
My kit and software are a bit dated now, but editing with Adobe Premiere Pro1.5 and Adobe Encore - both let me use a right-click menu option to interpret the footage. The usual offerings are "square pixels", "PAL 4:3" or "PAL 16:9" - with appropriate pixel sizes for each one.
Then it is all down to the player at the end of the process ... some PC playback programs pick up on the aspect ratio and others do not. There may be a setting in the player preferences which lets you choose "always 4:3", "always 16:9" or "Auto".
-Dave
My kit and software are a bit dated now, but editing with Adobe Premiere Pro1.5 and Adobe Encore - both let me use a right-click menu option to interpret the footage. The usual offerings are "square pixels", "PAL 4:3" or "PAL 16:9" - with appropriate pixel sizes for each one.
Then it is all down to the player at the end of the process ... some PC playback programs pick up on the aspect ratio and others do not. There may be a setting in the player preferences which lets you choose "always 4:3", "always 16:9" or "Auto".
-Dave
Re: DVD problems with IMovie
Dear Tom and Dave - Thank you for your suggestions. In fact 'interpret footage' (which I had not explored before) does solve the problem when I import the incorrect footage to my project. But I don't know whether it will be an option for other club members using Studio etc - or how I would explain it to them.
But thanks again for helping.
Annette
But thanks again for helping.
Annette