convert 16:9 to 4:3 in final cut (pan and scan) without the bars

[intelligentanim]

Hi all, long time moocher first time poster.
I shoot & edit instructional DVDs for therapists and have hit a snag. We are currently making an international film which compiles clips from across the globe. So far I have been able to overcome the PAL conversions and various crazy file types. My issue is that we will be creating a 4:3 finished project and some of the footage is HD widescreen.
I need to convert the 16:9 to 4:3 without the bars.

I got around this by creating a dv ntsc 4:3 project, importing wide screen footage, grabbing a corner of the image in the canvas and pulling it until it filled the screen, then saving the file as a quicktime.

Any idea as to how I could pan & scan, or pan from side to side as needed to follow the action? The setup I have now only allows for one position at a time.

Thanks, and good luck everyone!

 

[lighthouse_man]

Keyframe the clip's center position to do a horizontal movement.

 

[huntercr]

Hi all, long time moocher first time poster.
I shoot & edit instructional DVDs for therapists and have hit a snag. We are currently making an international film which compiles clips from across the globe. So far I have been able to overcome the PAL conversions and various crazy file types. My issue is that we will be creating a 4:3 finished project and some of the footage is HD widescreen.
I need to convert the 16:9 to 4:3 without the bars.

I got around this by creating a dv ntsc 4:3 project, importing wide screen footage, grabbing a corner of the image in the canvas and pulling it until it filled the screen, then saving the file as a quicktime.

Any idea as to how I could pan & scan, or pan from side to side as needed to follow the action? The setup I have now only allows for one position at a time.

Thanks, and good luck everyone!

Use the "motion" tab on the viewer of the clip you want to modify, and set keyframes for the start and end points. Then on the canvas window, go to the end keyframe and move the video to where you want it. This will create a line with a bunch of dots. Right click on the end point and select "ease in/ ease out". This will turn the motion line into a beizer curve and will make the motion feel more natural.

There is a lot to learn about this, so I suggest reading the manual ( Pages 735-743 "Creating Keyframe Motion Paths" in the Final Cut Express manual )

Hope this helps!