iMovie HD -- Widescreen Help

[mctravel]

Hello everyone-- I've searched several forums looking to the answer to this problem, and can't really find an answer.. So my question is:

In iMovie, if I import and edit my 16:9 .dv footage using "DV Widescreen" mode, and export it to a .mov file, the video looks great when I open it in quicktime. But, for sites like google video and youtube, the videos are automatically resized to the 320x240 size, and the right and left sides of my video are cut off. Is there any way to save in a format that adds black bars to the bottom and top of the video image, so that the edges aren't cut off when the video is resized?

Also, I've heard that there is a similar problem when burning the video with iDVD.. ie, it squashes/stretches the video instead of letterboxing it?

In the alternative, I know I can import using the standard dv mode, and let it letterbox... But.. I've run into the problem where iMovie crashes before it has the chance to auto-letterbox, and, when I restart the program and move the clips from the trash back into the clips panels, I can't force the program to automatically letterbox.

Any thoughts?? Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[bmcgonag]

Hello everyone-- I've searched several forums looking to the answer to this problem, and can't really find an answer.. So my question is:

In iMovie, if I import and edit my 16:9 .dv footage using "DV Widescreen" mode, and export it to a .mov file, the video looks great when I open it in quicktime. But, for sites like google video and youtube, the videos are automatically resized to the 320x240 size, and the right and left sides of my video are cut off. Is there any way to save in a format that adds black bars to the bottom and top of the video image, so that the edges aren't cut off when the video is resized?

Also, I've heard that there is a similar problem when burning the video with iDVD.. ie, it squashes/stretches the video instead of letterboxing it?

In the alternative, I know I can import using the standard dv mode, and let it letterbox... But.. I've run into the problem where iMovie crashes before it has the chance to auto-letterbox, and, when I restart the program and move the clips from the trash back into the clips panels, I can't force the program to automatically letterbox.

Any thoughts?? Thanks a lot in advance!

I would try the import in standard DV mode. But also, when using expert settings under Quicktime Share in IMovie, there is a "Keep aspect ratio using letterboxing option." You may need to check or uncheck that.

Brian

 

[theBB]

Also, I've heard that there is a similar problem when burning the video with iDVD.. ie, it squashes/stretches the video instead of letterboxing it?

No, iDVD puts a letterbox on top and bottom if it is a 4:3 iDVD project. In my case, I actually prefer the cropping.

If you pick a widescreen iDVD project, then everything should work out OK.

 

[nyycavo24]

I don't mean to Hijack this thread, but it seemed related...

How do you do the opposite then? Taking Standard-Def footage that is going to be shown on a wide screen and INSTEAD of upscaling it, adding placeholders on the left and right? (sort of like ESPN and other HD stations do when they aren't showing HD content.)

 

[theBB]

Your TV can handle that easily if you put it into 4:3 mode instead of 16:9 or any other zoom options.

 

[nyycavo24]

Yeah, I will def have to do 4:3 format because upscaling it to widescreen on a 60 inch HDTV will look horrible.

So If I keep it at 4:3 resolution, is there ANYTHING I can do to avoid those black bars on the sides of the SD picture and INSTEAD insert graphics or anything else instead?

There has to be a program out there someplace that can do this right? All the HD stations do it.