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Understanding resolution for video

Ambrosia7177

Ambrosia7177

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Feb 6, 2016
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Hello. I am trying to learn iMovie, and am confused about the resolution on the screen of my laptop.

I have a 2015 Retina MBP, 13". Under Apple > About, it says 2560 X 1600.

Most iMovie tutorials that I see online seem to recommend using a size of 1920 X 1080 pixels (i.e. 16:9)

So also mentions 720p.

This is confusing to me, since I expected the video to fill the entire screen of my laptop, and it seems that neither 1920 X 1080 or ____ X 720 will do that.


The reason for my question is that I am trying to make a slide for my video, and a tutorial that I was watching recommends taking a screen shot of the video, importing it into some graphic editing program (e.g. Keynote), and then positioning your text over the actual frame from the video.

So I was trying to import a screenshot, but then I got confused by these conflicting resolutions sizes if that makes sense?! 😯
 
Don't worry about the resolution of your screen. Worry about the resolution of your footage, which is likely 4K, 1080p, or 720p. Edit in iMovie at the resolution it was shot at - ie, make sure your project resolution matches the footage (don't put 1080 video in a 720 project). Create slides at a matching resolution.
 
Mr_Brightside_@ said:
Don't worry about the resolution of your screen. Worry about the resolution of your footage, which is likely 4K, 1080p, or 720p. Edit in iMovie at the resolution it was shot at - ie, make sure your project resolution matches the footage (don't put 1080 video in a 720 project). Create slides at a matching resolution.
Click to expand...

@Mr_Brightside_@,

Let me back up and explain the context of what I was trying to do...

So I am trying to learn iMovie and video editing, and my goal right now is to learn how to put text into videos.

This includes most learning how to create "slides" of text - like a PowerPoint prsentation - but also how to put text over the actual video.

Now I understand that iMovie has a "Titles" tab that supposedly does this for you, BUT the problem is that a.) the choices are limited, b.) they are all animated, and c.) they appear to be designed to appear over the video frames.

So I started watching a video that uses Keynote to simply ceate a static text slide and then import it into iMove. (And as you saw in my other thread, I cannot download Keynote in macOS Sierra.)

I kept watching the movie anyways, and it occurred to me that I could try to use LibreOffice Presentation.

Now on to the good stuff...

In iMovie, I am paused on a frame in the movie, and I want to take a screen shot of that frame using my Mac's screen-capture, and then paste that screenshot into LibreOffice Presentation and use it to help me to position the text over the image/frame.

In iMovie, I maximized the video viewer, typed Cmd + Shift + Control + 4, and if I drag out my entire physical screen I get "1280 X 800" and if I just drag out where the video is at minus the top and bottom black strips, I get "1280 X 720".

So I just dragegd out the video of "1280 X 720" and I pasted it into my LibreOffice Prsentation document which under Slide > Properties says:
Code: 
Format: Screen 16:9
Width: 11.02"
Height: 6.20"
Orientation: Landscape


The problem is that that when I save the file as transparency and overlay it over a video frame it is getting stretched out of place even though in my mockup it looked okay.

Not sure if you can follow what I am saying, but I think this is simply a matter of my resolution/document dimensions being off...
 
Attached are three files.

Text Slide_02.png
This was created by taking a screenshot of a video frame, placing it into LibreOffice Presentation, adding text,a nd saving it with transparency OFF.


Text Slide_03.png
This was a slide created using LibreOffice Presentation's text templates. Itw as saved with transparency OFF.


Text Slide_04.png
This was a slide created using LibreOffice Presentation's text templates. Itw as saved with transparency ON. Notice how the text in this one is stretched...


P.S. I downloaded a vdieo from YouTube of a "street preacher" and was having some fun editing/shortening the video. SO that is why you see hands and a Bible. No, I am not a street-preacher myself, so don't start any rumors!! :)
 

Attachments

  • Text Slide_03.png
    Text Slide_03.png
    58 KB · Views: 136
  • Text Slide_04.png
    Text Slide_04.png
    125 KB · Views: 132
  • Text Slide_02.png
    Text Slide_02.png
    2.5 MB · Views: 138
Mr_Brightside_@ said:
So option 3 should work?
Click to expand...

@Mr_Brightside_@,

I don't understand you.

What is "Option #3"?


As mentioned above...

Test Slide_02.png is a screenshot of the frame screenshot with text on it. That is, these are the end results I expect.

Test Slide_03.png is just an export from Presentation of a text slide with white background. So the end result looks okay.

Test Slide_04.png is also an export from Presentation of a text slide, but this time with transparent background. Notice how that slide looks *skewed* and does NOT match Test Slide_03.png?
 
Mr_Brightside_@ said:
I dunno. Don't use a text editor to make slides. Why does it have to be transparent?
Click to expand...

I am not using a text editor. LibreOffice Presentation is supposed to be akin to PowerPoint or Keynote...

Why transparent?

Because I am trying to learn how to put text on top of video frames. If you create a slide in Keynote or Presention or PowerPoint and you have an opaque background on your slide, then when you put that in iMovie you will see the slide and the text but not the video.
 
If it's going on top of a solid colour anyway, just create it like that (with the text and background colour you want) in Libre.
 
Mr_Brightside_@ said:
If it's going on top of a solid colour anyway, just create it like that (with the text and background colour you want) in Libre.
Click to expand...

You're not following what I am doing...

I am trying to learn how to put text on top of the video (i.e. I still want to see the video in the background).

If I create the txet in software like Keynote or PResentation and the slide I am creating has a solid background, then when I import that into iMovie you won't see the video in the background, THUS the need for a TRANSPARENT baclground in the slide youc reate in Keynote/Presentation/powerPoint/etc...
 
Mr_Brightside_@ said:
At what size/dimensions was this file created?
Click to expand...

In Presentation, under Slide > Properties, it says...
Code: 
Format: Screen 16:9
Width: 11.02"
Height: 6.20"
Orientation: Landscape


Then, in Presentation, when I go to File > Export... I chose File Type = PNG, clicked Save, a PNG option pop-up appears.

I chose...
Code: 
Width: 1920 pixels
Height: 1080 pixles

Resolution: 96 pixels/inch  (Not sure what this should be?!)

Compression: 6

Mode:
     Interlaced: True
     
Drawing Objects:  
     Save Transparency: True


I chose the above settings based on what was said in this link:

discussions.apple.com/thread/7705098

(see Rich839's comments on Oct 12, 2016 @ 9:21am)


HTH.
 
Texas_Toast said:
Hello. I am trying to learn iMovie, and am confused about the resolution on the screen of my laptop.

I have a 2015 Retina MBP, 13". Under Apple > About, it says 2560 X 1600.

Most iMovie tutorials that I see online seem to recommend using a size of 1920 X 1080 pixels (i.e. 16:9)

So also mentions 720p.

This is confusing to me, since I expected the video to fill the entire screen of my laptop, and it seems that neither 1920 X 1080 or ____ X 720 will do that.


The reason for my question is that I am trying to make a slide for my video, and a tutorial that I was watching recommends taking a screen shot of the video, importing it into some graphic editing program (e.g. Keynote), and then positioning your text over the actual frame from the video.

So I was trying to import a screenshot, but then I got confused by these conflicting resolutions sizes if that makes sense?! 😯
Click to expand...

Hi, what may make your life a lot easier if you are going to use screenshots or graphics programs (Powerpoint or Keynote) to insert into your movie is to change your monitor resolution (temporarily) to match the video format. I occasionally produce screencast movies and I always set the resolution of my screen to 1920 x 1080 (HD 1080P) which is normally sufficient for screencasts. To do this I use an utility as out of the box Macs do not offer custom screen resolutions. The Utility that I use is called SwitchResX and costs $16.

I create the screencast in HD1080P (using screenflow) and use Keynote to create custom graphics for use in the video. I simply take a screenshot while setting SwitchresX to HD1080P. As the screen resolution is already set to 1920 x 1080, the screenshot can be added straight to the movie without adjustment. If you are going to take screenshots of your movie to then add graphic elements then this will save you a lot of headaches.

Hope this helps.
 
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@Mr_Brightside_@,

Hopefully this will make more sense...


Frame #1: Original Frame (1280 X 800 screenshot, my entire MBP screen)

01 - Original Frame (entire screen)(1280 X 800).png



Sorry this is so big?!

I will have to upload the other screenshots in other posts... 😯
 
Last edited by a moderator:
@Mr_Brightside_@,

Frame #2: Opaque Slide with Text (Since the background is opaque, you no longer see the video!)

02 - Text to be added (1280 X 800).png

[automerge]1594937924[/automerge]



@Mr_Brightside_@,

Frame #3: Actual Outcome of Transparent Slide with Text (Since this slide has a transparent background, you can see both the text in the slide PLUS the original video frame in the background)


The problem is that the Size, Location, Layout of the text in Frame #3 should be identical to Frame #2 because it was the same source file, and all I did was to check "Save Transpareny" in LibreOffice Presentation.

But for some reason, the text became distorted, and that is what this whole thread is about!! :)

03 - End Result (1280 X 800).png
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The problem is your Video resolution is 1920 x 1080 and your screen resolution is 1280 x 800, so when you place the screenshot in the video it is stretched, you should match the screen resolution to the video resolution. see my post above.
 
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I would make the slides in GIMP, that's what I did. Stop bothering with Libre and Keynote. I've used Keynote extensively for presentations but it doesn't give you the flexibility you want. I'm not sure why it appears blurry as I made it 1080p at 300 dpi but it's going to cause you fewer headaches.
 
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