Apple Final Cut Pro 7 User Manual
Page 1179
Note: There is no accepted standard for the exact aspect ratio of non-square SD video
pixels. Different manufacturers may assume different pixel aspect ratios when designing
their software. Fortunately, these differences tend to be very small, so in many cases you
may not notice a difference between pixel aspect ratios of, say, 0.9 and 0.89.
Since every non-square video frame size has an equivalent square frame size that will
look correct in SD video, it’s easy to create your graphics with a usable frame size. The
steps below tell you how.
See
“Pixel Aspect Ratios in SD Video Signals Versus Computer Displays”
for more
background information on this topic.
Graphics for projects that will be output to HD video, or for video that will be played only
on computers and doesn’t use any captured SD video footage, simply need a frame size
that matches the sequence frame size. No alterations are needed.
To create graphics that look correct when output to video
1
In your graphics application, create a frame size that’s the square-pixel equivalent of the
video frame size of your sequence.
To select the correct frame size for your video format, see
“Frame Size Chart for Creating
2
Create your graphic.
3
Do one of the following:
• Save your image from the graphics program to your media folder on disk.
• In your graphics program, first save your image at the original dimensions with a name
such as MyGraphic_original (this is a working copy that you can always use to make
further changes). Then, rescale the graphic from the square-pixel frame size you created
it with to the non-square equivalent shown in
“Frame Size Chart for Creating Graphics.”
This makes the image look distorted in your graphics application, but it will look right
when you output it to video. Save this resized graphic to the folder in which you store
your media.
4
Import your image file into Final Cut Pro.
If your imported image dimensions match any of the SD digital video formats supported
by Final Cut Pro (such as DV NTSC, PAL, or widescreen), Final Cut Pro automatically assigns
the appropriate pixel aspect ratio associated with those dimensions. If you want to change
the pixel aspect ratio, you can change the image file’s Pixel Aspect property in the Browser
column or in the clip’s Item Properties window, as described in
1179
Chapter 70
Working with Freeze Frames and Still Images