How do I customise a widescreen setting?

Gary Merchant · 19 Apr 2013

Can anyone advise on how to create a widescreen setting so that the top of the image is not affected?

The image source is from a 4.3 DVD, and I use VLC to record scenes which are copied automatically to the videos section on the laptop. However, problems occur when I try to create a widescreen setting so that the top of the original image is not affected. After cropping the bottom of the image by 200px, and using a converter to converting the scene to a 1280 x 720 screen format, the widescreen works, but it ignores the settings I create and crops the top and bottom of the image.

This is not for viewing something in widescreen on the laptop. It's so that I can create a film in widescreen to eventually copy onto a blank DVD to watch on my tv. With the source material being in 4.3, some scenes are bound to have heads at the top of the screen or near to it. It's those isolated scenes which I want to create in widescreen, but in effect have a double bottom bar when setting up the widescreen effect.

mitchell65 · 21 Apr 2013

Hi Gary and welcome to the Forum
What video software are you using nd what format are the original clips?

Gary Merchant · 22 Apr 2013

Thanks for replying.

Re software, I have VLC installed as well as an AVC video converter.

The original clips come from a Doctor Who DVD, the story being in 4.3 format.

mitchell65 · 22 Apr 2013

I really meant what format are the clips now. How did you get from the DVD to a clip on your PC? Just right click on one of the clip files and click Properties. Then gquote the file extension.
Broadly you can do what you want but you will need a Video Editor to do it. You can "distort " the clip to make it fit the widescreen format but this will make people look fat and looks very odd for anything but faily distant landscapes. The other way means cropping the top and bottom of the clips. It is generally considered best to either go with the black strips down the sides or you can with an editor put a background that is more in keeping with the clips. There's no end of things you can do.
Will you be doing a lot of this sort of thing or is this a one off?

Gary Merchant · 22 Apr 2013

Ah, with you now.

Getting from the DVD to clips is done by playing the disc through the VLC application, from which I can then hit a record button to record the clips I want. Can't tell you the file extension yet, as my laptop is at home and I'm at work.

I have tried cropping the clips via VLC and then recording the cropped version, but when playing the clip afterwards the ratio has gone back to its normal setting. Maybe I'm missing something.

Will come back to you tomorrow with the file extension details.

mitchell65 · 22 Apr 2013

OK but in the meantime is this a one off job or do you anticipate doing more as if so a good Video Editor will serve you well.

crankypenguin · 22 Apr 2013

Have you changed the aspect ratio to 16:9 while the crop is set to 4:3? You can also try a setting of crop - 16:9, aspect ratio - 4:3 using VLC.

Gary Merchant · 22 Apr 2013

I may do more, depending on how this first one works out. Can you recommend a suitable video editor I could download?

Gary Merchant · 22 Apr 2013

crankypenguin said:

Have you changed the aspect ratio to 16:9 while the crop is set to 4:3? You can also try a setting of crop - 16:9, aspect ratio - 4:3 using VLC.

No, I hadn't done that. I'd assumed changing the ratio to 16.9 would set the black bars and so could not be changed. I will check this out tonight.

crankypenguin · 22 Apr 2013

Gary Merchant said:

crankypenguin said:

Have you changed the aspect ratio to 16:9 while the crop is set to 4:3? You can also try a setting of crop - 16:9, aspect ratio - 4:3 using VLC.

No, I hadn't done that. I'd assumed changing the ratio to 16.9 would set the black bars and so could not be changed. I will check this out tonight.

I always set the aspect ratio to 16:9 so that the black bars are gone. This way I get a nice full screen for whatever I am watching on VLC.