Image dimensions and aspect ratio, Frame rate – Apple Final Cut Pro 6 User Manual
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An Introduction to Final Cut Pro
Important:
When you are specifying your initial settings, make sure you choose an
Easy Setup that corresponds to your country’s video standard. (An Easy Setup is a
collection of settings that determines how Final Cut Pro works with your editing
system.) For more information, see “
Opening Final Cut Pro and Choosing Your Initial
Originally, all these formats were analog. Analog video uses a signal that consists of a
constantly varying voltage level, called a waveform, that represents video and audio
information. Analog signals must be digitized, or captured, for use by Final Cut Pro.
VHS and Betacam SP are both analog tape formats.
More recently, digital SD video formats were introduced, as well as digital high
definition (HD) video formats. Most consumer camcorders today record SD digital
video (such as DV), and professional cameras may record SD or HD digital video.
Image Dimensions and Aspect Ratio
The horizontal and vertical pixel dimensions of your format determine the frame size
and aspect ratio. For example, SD NTSC video is 720 pixels wide and 480 pixels tall.
HD video is either 1280 x 720 or 1920 x 1080, and is usually referred to by the vertical
dimension and the frame rate (for example 720p60 or 1080i30).
The aspect ratio of a video frame is the width with respect to the height. SD video has
an aspect ratio of 4:3, while HD video uses 16:9.
Note: You may notice that 1280/720 or 1920/1080 is equivalent to 16:9, while 720/480 is
not equivalent to 4:3. This is because SD digital video uses pixels that are rectangular,
not square. For more information, see Volume IV, Appendix A, “Video Formats.”
Frame Rate
The frame rate of your video determines how quickly frames are recorded and played
back. The higher the number of frames per second (fps), the less noticeably the image
flickers on screen. There are several common frame rates in use:
 24 fps: Film, certain HD formats, and certain SD formats use this frame rate. This may
also be 23.98 fps for compatibility with NTSC video.
 25 fps: SD PAL
 29.97 fps: SD NTSC
 59.94 fps: 720p HD video frame rate. This can also be 60 fps.
For more information, see Volume IV, Appendix B, “Frame Rate and Timecode.”