Layering Videos?

[nyycavo24]

Hello All,

Is it possible to layer a video on top of an image (an image that is in 16:9)?

I am making a movie that is filled with 4:3 home video footage and tranferring that movie to a DVD once its complete.

I don't want to stretch the video to distort it, but I also don't want the thick black bars on the sides of the HD picture when you aren't viewing things that are in HD....

I'd RATHER have the sides filled with an image or SOMETHING that is similar to what ESPN or CNN does when they show things on their HD channels that AREN'T in HD.

Additional suggestions are also welcome.

I would REALLY appreciate help on this, I can't seem to find it ANYWHERE.

 

[Help!]

What editing program are you using? Also I think you are mixing two separate issues: the resolution, and the aspect ratio.

I think you would have to make two separate videos, one in the original ratio and one in 16:9 with the image you want to replace the bars.

 

[nyycavo24]

Well, right now Im using iMovie HD, but im going to be upgrading to FCE 3.5 probably before its all said and done and do my final editing in that.

I don't want my 4:3 footage upconverted to 16:9 because the footage is old and grainy to begin with, but i dont want those bars either.

There has to be some way to do this, I just can't figure it out and its holding up my entire project.

If I could, Id like to play the 4:3 footage "on top of" a 16:9 picture, or really just anything to cover up the black bars and maintain the aspect ratio.

 

[bigbossbmb]

you can't layer video in iMovie AFAIK... you'll need FCE.

 

[Macnoviz]

that should be no problem in FCE. Make an image the size of your canvas, put on the first layer, and then import your video into a layer on top of that. When you double click that movie in the timeline, you can choose the size and aspect ratio of that clip.

EDIT: btw, what's so bad about those black bars? They seem like the most inobtrusive way to cover up you screen

 

[AviationFan]

There are picture-in-picture plugins for iMovie. But Final Cut (Express or Pro alike) is the real deal, with easy and extremely flexible layering of tracks. nyycavo24, you will not regret making the switch to FCE!

- Martin