Solved How do I customise a widescreen setting?

[Gary Merchant]

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]

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

 

[Gary Merchant]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

 

[Gary Merchant]

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]

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.

 

[Gary Merchant]

Ah, but this is not intended for watching on the laptop. It's so that I can transfer the finished project onto disc and view it on the tv. Does that make a difference to your suggestion?

 

[mitchell65]

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

Yes I would recommend Corel Video Studio. You can download a 30 day trial from here:
Video-editing software
It's good that others should join the thread to help but, crankypenguin, please read the thread form the beginning and you will see that what is required here is to crop the clips in the right place then go through each one and make sure the tops of head haven't been cut off then apply transitions and other effects, then create an mpeg2 compliant file and then Create the two DVD files namely VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS that can be burnt to a blank DVD to allow the Video to be played on a standard Video Player through a TV. VLC can't do that!

 

[Gary Merchant]

Right Mitchell, I'm back.

I decided not to go with the Corel video editing as I ideally wanted something I coudl download for free and not ona trial basis, so I went with NCH Video Pad and downloaded that onto the laptop last night. So far I'm getting the basics, but one or two things popped up on screen which I hope you can shed soem light on.

I was able to copy some sequences onto the application and adjust the settings to widescreen as I wanted. When it came to saving them as video files I hit the create button and a screen box appeared, saying 'An install-on-demand component could not be installed automatically. Please recall fro the url below then try again. NCH Software - Download Audio, Video, Business, Dictation Programs & more I clicked ok and another box appeared with the words 'Failed to creat your movie. Could not initialise video output.'. So the situation as it stands is that I can't view the video pad files on my usual videos screen, although the icon is there to click on to take me back to the video editing application. I get the initial feeling that I may not be able to use the Movie Maker in conjunction with this.

Finally, you asked about the file extension on the scenes I'd recorded from the DVD. I right clicked but nothign to indicate an extention was obvious. So all I can offer is the title given to one of the scenes recorded - vlc-record-04-23-01 h20mlls - dvd__D_-

Hope that all makes sense.

 

[Gary Merchant]

Another day in and I'm now getting the hang of the video editor software. Just wanted to say thanks for all the input and suggestions.

 

[mitchell65]

Sorry I missed your post #13 Didn't get a notification? strange. Anyway will read it through properly within the hour and get back to you!

 

[mitchell65]

Hi Gary
Have to say i found you post #13 a bit confusing. You speak of things like the "I can't view the video pad files on my usual videos screen". But video editing programs do not create their own files. They can only render the clips you inport to various formats. You have to tell the program which format to render to!
Lets go back to basics.
You have some video clips that you recorded in VLC and saved the resultant files. They must have a file extension. You must have been given a choice of saving them to a specific folder and in a certain format.
Navigate to one of the files that you recorded. Has it got a file extension, I would guess it might be .avi? If you cant see the files extension, go to Windows Explorer, click the Tools tab, then choose "Folder options" click the "View" tab then uncheck the entry "Hide extensions for known file types"
Then go cack to the file in question and the extension will now show.
We need that for the next stage.
BTW are you sure you have a free copy of the program as all i can find is one for about £20?

 

[Gary Merchant]

Hiya,

Right, with you now about the file extensions, and they are all avi. It's getting the hang of the language...

There is a free version of the programme for home users, which is the one I downloaded. I've now copied all recorded clips into the video editor and also added various audio files in the same way and have begun adding these to the program in the order I want

Now, to be clearer about my 'not being able to view the video pad files'. The format/file was saved onto my regular list of videos, as in Computer/music/video. Not sure if that was the correct thing to do, but when opening up the video editor, clicking on the saved file from that option opens the file in the video editor. It's obvious to me now that I could not open it to view as I would a normal video. But you learn these things as you go.

One thing - when previewing a clip, it appears jerky, and the picture on full screen is not pristine. Any thoughts on that, or is this part of the next stage you referred to?

Hope I've explained everything clearly.

 

[mitchell65]

Hi nGary
Have now found the free version, sorry about that!
When you say "clicking on the saved file from that option opens the file in the video editor" I guess that the avi file is associated with the editor so the file opens in the editor. If you right click on the avi file with the editor open and select "Open With" you should be able to choose a video viewer like Windows Media Player. When you import, or drag and drop a video file from your stored folder into the editor, you are in fact just importing aa copy of the file. The original will stay in your storage folder and no matter how much you cut out of the one in the editor the original will stay as is. So far as the Preview is concerned. The answer is in the qusetion, it is only a preview. You are trying to render the project "on the fly" and it will always be a bit jerky depending how powerful your PC is especially the graphics card. It's never going to be that good in an average laptop. It has no bearing on the finished product.

 

[Gary Merchant]

Thanks for clarifying all that. Sounds like I'm on the right road now, and I've printed off as much info from the NCH site to hopefully cover any uncertainties.

Thanks again for your help. Much appreciated.

 

[mitchell65]

Thats fine. Just one more thought for you. To save wasting DVD's buy a five pack of decent rewitable DVD's then when things go wrong,as they willfrom time to time, at the burning stage you can erase the disc and use it again. if you buy the same make as your DVD burner/player then you stand a better chance of not getting failures. If you can set the burner to it's slowest speed for best results, say 4 or 8x.
Good luck.