aspect ratio settings

[Padraig Profile Private message]

I pp all.my pics before importing to ProShow. If cropped I keep the native ratio of the SLR , 3:2. My question is, do I enter this 3:2 ratio as a custom setting when starting a new show? The setting options are 4:3 older TV and 16:9 wide screen.

Do I need to anything on the DVD publishing settings. I will be playing it on a widescreen TV and want to avoid distortion. I can live with letterbox but not short legged and super long Irish Wolfhounds.

Thanks,

Padraig

[cherub Profile Private messageWebsite]

I'm not sure what you mean by "I pp all my pictures". Do you mean that you crop your pictures?
You don't need to crop any of your pictures before using them in Producer. You just need to choose a correct effect (motion, or ready made style) that is suitable for your pictures.

In general you are making a confusion between the aspect ratio of the show and that of your pictures.

The aspect ratio of the show refers to the screen on which it will be shown. And that can be either 4:3 (for older TVs) or 16:9 (widescreen)
Your own pictures can be anything that your camera shoots, either landscape (wide), or portrait (tall), or square, or even round, if you a apply a vignette to them.

For short, all you need to do is to choose the show aspect ratio that suits the screen of your TV, and then to position the pictures accordingly.
When you make your DVD, you need to choose the same aspect ratio that the show was made in, again according to your own TV.

[Padraig Profile Private message]

Thanks for the reply, Mona. By PP I mean I go through my originals and sharpen adjust color, light etc. and crop if needed. I stay with the camera's standard 3:2 aspect ratio and often do not crop at all as I tend to compose quite tightly in the camera. The shows display well on my computer monitor with space around the edges and everything seems to be in proportion.

When I burn a DVD and play it on my wide screen 16:9 TV it fills the screen and of course the proportion is skewed as it is taking a 3:2 ratio and stretching it to 16:9. From what you said in your post and the fact that it displays properly on my computer monitor I am now assuming it is not the fault of the ProShow set up but that my TV is automatically filling the screen. Does that sound correct?

Thanks,

[cherub Profile Private messageWebsite]

Something is not right.
What is the aspect ratio of the SHOW that you made?
What happens if you take the DVD that you burned, and play it on your computer (and not on the TV) ?
Do you still see stretched pictures?

[Padraig Profile Private message]

The photos were downloaded into the program at their native 3:2.
It plays fine on my widescreen monitor and on my wife's laptop, no distortion. I am thinking it is my TV, a Samsung.

[debngar Profile Private message]

Most TV remotes have a button to change picture display size. I usually leave mine at 16:9 and create shows with that aspect. Additionally, if you have a service like Dish, DirectTV or something like that, their remote controller will likely have a picture size button too. It might be called "format".

I "PP" (post process) my images too but don't get hung up over keeping the original aspect. In fact, I used to shoot tight in camera too but don't do that anymore as much to allow for cropping to different print sizes later.

Using slide styles (or creating your own displays) that utilize backgrounds to help fill the screen is a good way to display images without so much concern about aspect ratio of each image. This also takes care of portrait aspect images displays which typically do not fill the screen.

[Padraig Profile Private message]

Thanks Debbie. I think I need to set my TV to other then 16:9, otherwise it stretches to fit. Or possibly their is a setting on my DVD player.

I am not hung up on using the native 3:2 I just find it helps to have a consistent format to start with. If needed I can adjust later. I have been working to compose a little looser when shooting. I think it is a carryover from my film days.

I am thinking of burning a show to Blu Ray. Do you find a big difference in quality using Blu Ray vs a DVD?

Thanks,

[debngar Profile Private message]

There are usually other choices than to stretch the image that keeps the display as it was meant to be viewed. It takes some experimenting with the various choices to get the right one.

I don't have a Blu Ray player or burner. There are others here that can answer that question better.

[gpsmikey Profile Private message]

Take a look at what options you have set for your slides - "stretch to frame" will distort the images to make them fit. The other options (fill frame, safe zone etc.) will adjust the size but not the ratio to get what you have selected. As far as blueray goes, I had been all excited about it when the prices started to drop however, I have found that rendering to mp4 720p seems to work very well and many of the newer TV's can handle usb thumb drives very nicely so I have kind of lost interest in BluRay. Another advantage to the 720p mp4 is lots of stuff can play that format without requiring a blueray player.

mikey

[debngar Profile Private message]

Take a look at what options you have set for your slides - "stretch to frame" will distort the images to make them fit. The other options (fill frame, safe zone etc.) will adjust the size but not the ratio to get what you have selected.

mikey

Yes that's a setting option in ProShow too, (the stretch to size), and would distort images no matter what device was used for playback.

Since the playback was reported to display properly on computer monitor but stretched on TV, it seemed more likely a change to the picture setting on the TV with the remote control would be the fix.

The shows display well on my computer monitor with space around the edges and everything seems to be in proportion.

[gpsmikey Profile Private message]

Yes, you are correct Debbie - I had not had my coffee yet

mikey

[Padraig Profile Private message]

Thank you every one! It appears that my problem was with my DVD player setting, not ProShow or the TV.

I also apologize for not introducing myself. I have been on the forum for years but not very active for some time. It feels good to be back. I only do a few slide shows a year but now that I am retired that may change. I usually have a camera with me and enjoy shooting scenic sunsets from my dock on Chautauqua Lake, while enjoying a Powers Irish Whiskey. What I am ever going to do with all the sunset pics I have no idea. LOL. I also raise and show Irish Wolfhounds and take many pics of mine and others's hounds while at conformation shows and performance events so I guess I have something in common with Debbie whom I see does pet portraits. My current most used camera is a Nikon D7000.

Thanks again for the help,

Padraig

[gpsmikey Profile Private message]

The good news is Welcome to Retirement!! Now the bad news - all those things you think you will get done when you retire? You'll find you have even less time to work on them now !! I had a whole list of things I expected to have done in the first 3 months after I retired ... that was 5 years ago and only one of them is done

mikey