Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iMovie (how to edit in 16:9 mode vs 4:3) help :(

charlestrippy

charlestrippy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 29, 2006
386
0
Tampa, Florida
Hey - some way or another I was able to get my Imovie to edit in 16:9 mode for all the hi-def videos - so i don't have to deal with the lame letterboxing while editing...

example of the 16:9 mode:
imoviehd.png


but the problem is it went back to 4:3 mode now so when i import my hd files it has the letterbox...

example of the 4:3 mode:
imoviesd.png




does anyone know how to switch between the two modes? thanks


sorry the images are so large
 
charlestrippy said:
sorry the images are so large
Click to expand...

Use TIMG instead of IMG to attach large files - it automatically resizes thumbnails. You can edit the above posts and add the T to the IMG and it'll sort it out.

This comes from iMovie's Help:

Changing the aspect ratio for your project
When you create a new project in iMovie, you’re asked to set an aspect ratio. This helps determine the final dimensions of the movie after you export it, but you can change it at any time before you export. You can choose either one of two standard aspect ratios, or a special ratio for movies you’ll view on your iPhone:

Widescreen (16:9): Makes the movie appear much wider than it is high. Widescreen movies are optimized for viewing on high definition (HD) TVs. When viewed on a standard television or computer monitor, they appear with black areas above and below (sometimes referred to as “letterbox”).

iPhone (3:2): Produces a movie of the best size for viewing on an iPhone.

Standard (4:3): Makes the movie more square in shape. When viewed on a standard TV or computer monitor, these movies can fill the screen. When viewed on an HD TV, they appear with black areas on the left and right of the video (sometimes referred to as “pillar box”).

To change a project’s aspect ratio:
  • Select the project’s name in the Project Library and choose File > Project Properties.
  • Choose an option from the Aspect Ratio pop-up menu

A movie takes on the aspect ratio that was set at the time it was exported into its final viewing format.
Click to expand...

It may not be perfect, but you won't get more than that from iMovie.

Is it that some widescreen files are becoming 4:3 on import to the movie, or were they 4:3 already? I don't really know the solution if this is the case, being more of a FCP user :eek:
 
bigandy said:
Use TIMG instead of IMG to attach large files - it automatically resizes thumbnails. You can edit the above posts and add the T to the IMG and it'll sort it out.

This comes from iMovie's Help:



It may not be perfect, but you won't get more than that from iMovie.

Is it that some widescreen files are becoming 4:3 on import to the movie, or were they 4:3 already? I don't really know the solution if this is the case, being more of a FCP user :eek:
Click to expand...


strange cuz i'm not seeing a file > project properties for imovie hd6?
 
Applespider said:
Open a new project and set it in the Preferences, save it and close it.

Then open another one... and it should let you dow 16:9 from the start (or at least that's how it worked pre-iMovie 08)
Click to expand...

i don't see anything really in the preferences that say anything about the two formats...am i looking in the wrong place?
 
charlestrippy said:
strange cuz i'm not seeing a file > project properties for imovie hd6?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I missed the fact you're not on 08 there :eek:

You need to go to create a new project. If you don't see the options, IIRC there was a sort of drop down "more options" thing to show up creating a 16:9 project.

I'm just downloading iMovie HD 6 so I can see for sure where it is. 6min remaining, back shortly (will just edit this post when I know the answer) :)
 
bigandy said:
Sorry, I missed the fact you're not on 08 there :eek:

You need to go to create a new project. If you don't see the options, IIRC there was a sort of drop down "more options" thing to show up creating a 16:9 project.

I'm just downloading iMovie HD 6 so I can see for sure where it is. 6min remaining, back shortly (will just edit this post when I know the answer) :)
Click to expand...

yeah i don't see an option for hd 6 but i do for 08 - but i need the timeline editing of 06 (plus i own some plugins that only work for 06 now)

thanks man, let me know if you figure it out it means a lot!
 
charlestrippy said:
yeah i don't see an option for hd 6 but i do for 08 - but i need the timeline editing of 06 (plus i own some plugins that only work for 06 now)

thanks man, let me know if you figure it out it means a lot!
Click to expand...

Here you go:

imovie.png


Check the option you want and that should be it... But for DV quality... :confused:

HD stuff will all be 16:9 by nature.. What sort of HD files do you have? Where/what are they from??

(Try this first then if it doesn't work, tell me).
 
bigandy said:
Here you go:

imovie.png


Check the option you want and that should be it... But for DV quality... :confused:

HD stuff will all be 16:9 by nature.. What sort of HD files do you have? Where/what are they from??

(Try this first then if it doesn't work, tell me).
Click to expand...

i can not believe that was right under my nose like that!

i'm using a sony hdr-sr5 (which records to the new AVCHD format) so i'm having to use imovie 8 or fcp2 to import these files (since they import and convert) then I drag them to the program I want (for simple cuts, imovie - fcp for complex)

i was having issues with imovie since the project would pretty much double letterbox - but hopefully this will work now that you found the options!

i'll export and let you know how it looks!

thanks again so much!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back