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aspect ratio question

Tue Jan 28, 2014 5:49 am

I'm really don't understand aspect ratio. I'm working on a show and I want it to fill the tv screen when it plays. Right now it only fills across. What setting should I use everytime I make a show and will it destort the show if it fills the screen. Also, should I burn it as a blue ray or is that something different? I'm a just a confused person.
Thanks for any and all help.

Di

Re: aspect ratio question

Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:35 am

The aspect ratio is simply the width relative to the height and is often represented as Width:Height. A 1280:720 show can also be represented by 1280/720 = 1.778. Or 1280/80 = 16 and 720/80 = 9 which results in 16:9. So, aA 16:9 show is the same as 16/9=1.778. An aspect of 1600:900 is the same as a 1280:720 is the same as 16:9.

A 3:2 aspect is the same as 3/2 : 2/2 = 1.5:1. A 4:3 show. These are all wide or landscape representations. But a 2:3 is the portrait version of 3:2.

Most older TV sets are 4:3 aspect. Most of the newer TVs are 16:9. Your best bet is to work with a 16:9, widescreen aspect show. It will fit most of today's TV sets/monitors and those for the foreseeable future.

Blu-Ray is a specification that is for high definition video ... it's often attributed to the 1920:1080 aspect which is 16:9 (1920/120=16 and 1080/120=9). It's a format, however that few expect to be around much longer ... However, you can burn your show to a DVD. Just burn your 16:9/wide screen to it and then play it back on an upconverting DVD player. NTSC DVD is 720x480. But, if you record your 16:9 show on this DVD (normal DVD video), you will get a letterboxed appearance on a 4:3 TV screen and a 16:9 format on a 16:9 TV/monitor (that is, it will fill the screen without distortion).

It's probably more that the confusion is all about the different resolutions and aspect ratios and the like that exist out there and all the different standards that ProShow supports. Many TV sets today are also able to recognize HD video formats directly ... just plug the USB Drive into the USB port on the TV, navigate to the video and play it (I don't have one of those TVs ... so I may have distorted that aspect of it ... but, that's what I hear).

I'm sure someone else will chime in so, keep tuned and good luck! :D :D :D

Dale

Re: aspect ratio question

Wed Jan 29, 2014 7:46 am

Dale is right: Choose 16:9 for your shows.

Also, with the newer flatscreen TV's you can probably set all your images as "Fit to frame," in the Layer Settings tab. This should reduce or perhaps even eliminate the extra black space around the TV screen.

Barbara

P.S: An awful lot of us start out with ProShow being confused by all this aspect ratio business. I remember having the problem until I realized one day that "aspect ratio" was nothing more than the shape of the rectangular screen. 4:3 is closer to a square than 16:9 is. :D

Re: aspect ratio question

Wed Jan 29, 2014 9:19 am

Ahhhhhhh.... I have to respectfully disagree about the "fit to frame" choice ... it really depends on your images' aspect. Most of the sensors in the newer cameras have a 3:2 aspect. When you use fit to frame as your scale choice the image stops resizing as soon as the first two sides of the image are the same as two sides of the show ... in this case that's the top and bottom of the screen. As such, if your image is set to 100% zoom, there is going to be empty space on each side (18.52 total or 9.26% on each side). If it were FILL SCREEN, the image scaling stops when the last 2 sides of the image are the same as the screen. In this case, about 18.52% of the image is outside the top and bottom of the screen (9.26% on each).

While I don't have a specific treatment of aspects written up yet (it's in the queue), I do have the equations available that are relevant to calculating the amount of an image that will either overflow or underflow the screen frame (but, that's relevant only for those who want and need precision placement or for those who need to know specifics). So, the choice of scaling your image will depend on that of your image(s) and what you are trying to do in the show's screen real estate that's available to you (be it 16:9 or 4:3).

Aspect can be confusing, that's for sure. Once you get the basics of it, however, things start becoming clearer. It doesn't help that we've got images and videos of all different sizes and they generally are not the same as the show's aspect. And, If you crop your images to fit your show's aspect, you have to know what you are doing (or you can mess the image up) ... and you have to know how to do the math (or find the right application that does the work for your). PSP's crop feature is non-destructive and easy to use ... but not intuitive and it's not all informative either.

Dale

Sorry, forgot to add the link to those layer equations mentioned above. The equations associated with layers zoom, pan, rotation center, height, and width are here: http://fpvp.wordpress.com/layers/layer-equations/
Last edited by im42n8 on Thu Jan 30, 2014 1:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Re: aspect ratio question

Wed Jan 29, 2014 10:18 am

And I respectfully disagree with you. Fill frame always slices off part of the image, meaning the zoom has to be adjusted to bring it down to the size wanted, be it Fit to frame or safe zone. I don't want the screen cropping a photo for me. If I wanted that, I'd crop it to my own specs.

Barbara

Re: aspect ratio question

Wed Jan 29, 2014 1:19 pm

I say "Poh-tay-toe" you say "Poh-tah-toe" :D :D :D

(it's also why I said: ... it depends...) 8) 8) 8)

Dale

Re: aspect ratio question

Wed Jan 29, 2014 1:26 pm

Perhaps we should both just say... :P

Barbara

Re: aspect ratio question

Wed Jan 29, 2014 1:41 pm

:D 8) :P :D

:wink:
Dale

PS WHERE would we all thought the same way ? ? ?

Re: aspect ratio question

Wed Jan 29, 2014 10:40 pm

And I say "french fries" :twisted: Actually, what I often do when I'm editing pictures from the camera is crop them 16:9 as part of my processing. End result is they are already cropped for shows (yeah, but then they aren't right for normal prints I know ... I've still got the unmodified original if I want it).

mikey

Re: aspect ratio question

Thu Jan 30, 2014 5:30 am

gpsmikey wrote:...when I'm editing pictures from the camera is crop them 16:9 as part of my processing.

All my graphics are 16:9 because their size is then instantly controllable, but doesn't cropping photos in this manner end up limiting you to mostly one photo at a time in a show and with no visual variety?

Barbara

Re: aspect ratio question

Thu Jan 30, 2014 6:10 am

All off the graphics I use are 16:9 too. But, when it comes to my images, I only crop them when it suits what I'm doing. I'm not always using them at full screen zoom (even then, I pan them up or down as necessary for the best view).

But, is the variety you're talking about multiple aspects? If so, isn't that then, a technique for presenting your images? If I have 2 or 3 images on the screen at once, it's usually with each image with the same aspect (or at least the appearance of it). With some tho, like in my clothesline style (Image Hang Line), multiple aspects are the aspect of the day. See? ... it depends ...! 8) :)

Dale

Re: aspect ratio question

Thu Jan 30, 2014 7:21 am

Dale, who are you talking to concerning variety? Mikey or me? If it's me, then by "variety," I'm referring to layout and balance. If all shapes and sizes match, we easily end up with something visually static.

The OP asked about aspect ratios, and now we've quickly gone winging off on a tangent. I love it. :D

Barbara

Re: aspect ratio question

Thu Jan 30, 2014 7:49 am

Heck of a way to "spice" up thing! :D

Levity..... where is it when you DON'T need it?! :mrgreen:

:P :!: :P

Dale

Re: aspect ratio question

Thu Jan 30, 2014 1:41 pm

WOW! Ya'll are so over my head and I'm a tall person. Thanks for all your help.
It did help.
di

Re: aspect ratio question

Thu Jan 30, 2014 2:03 pm

Di, it's way over all our heads, too. :D

Barbara
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