Question about making 16:9 into 2.35:1.

will the 1920x816 work?
Did you test it?
I guess not "if that's okay", indicates you would like to, but don't know whether it is agood idea or not.
So test now!
You have plenty of testfootage to make such a file..

I use 1 photoshop file to letterbox: that is quicker and more conveniant than cropping 2 layes.
And I export 1920x1080 since it is the most common and most supported format: so from usability, time management and fool proof perspective: the simple way is the best way in my opinion. Ask yourself when it must be a file in those dimensions.

Oh wow. I feel like an idiot. I don't know why I never thought of making black bars as a PNG file. I usually had a *.prtl set aside for said situations.

I prefer the project size option. The reason is that some people STILL have the old 4:3 tube tv sets and unless your png mask has a RGB black value of 16,16,16, people with these sets will actually see two shades of black- one for your mask, the other for the 16:9 letterboxing. The majority of Hollywood films are mastered at the aspect ratio, you should too. set your project to 1920x805 (or 800,816- whatever you want) and export at this resolution. Whatever the final viewing medium, all the players will letterbox as needed. Youtube will letterbox as it only displays 16:9 videos. Vimeo will not as it uses the actual video size. Each TV will add the appropriate amount of letterboxing for that set.
All that said, I actually edit in a 16:9 timeline with a mask so that there's room for burn-in on my rough cuts. Once picture is locked, I bring the project into Resolve and set up the 2.40 timeline for mastering. So even though I cut at 16:9, my final output is always the desired aspect ratio without a built in mask.

@El Director:
Nobody watches YouTube on a 4:3 tube :-p
Besides that: a 4:3 tube can't display anything beyond standard definition, because those tube don't use HDMI, but coax or scart cables.
So for that audience a DVD version has to be made.

The 16,16,16 thing is interesting: have you witnessed such double letterboxes?
AFAIK 0,0,0 will be displayed as 16,16,16.


Generally speaking your method is great, El D. but H44 needs to focus on everything else and make something great. When that is all done, he can still make that version.
At this moment of time it is bikeshedding again: micromanaging post production before shooting.

H44's question is a valid question, but he needs to make the babysteps to get there in the first place.

El Director said:

The reason is that some people STILL have the old 4:3 tube tv sets

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Not many at all! And you have to ask yourself who your audience is. Some people still have Windows 95 but software companies at some point have to limit how far backward-compatibility goes or they limit themselves technology-wise.

I actually didn't read who posted the question, just wanted to contribute my answer.
Lol, you're right, nobody watches YouTube on a 4:3 TV. I ommited the part where I was talking about a DVD 'cause my brain got ahead of me.

Yes, I used to have the problem all the time about 9 years ago when I had to burn my short films to DVD to watch them on my 34 inch 4:3 tube set. I was always hardmatting the aspect ratio and getting two different shades of black showing on the TV. After a lot of digging, I realized that making my "black" matte 16,16,16 fixed the issue.

Today though, I just do what I said above.

Okay thanks. So you're saying it's better to just export on the aspect ratio, you want, instead of adding black bars then?

I thought maybe some systems might play it weird or stretch the footage on a 16:9 TV if I did that.

As for the black bars being different colors, I was told that it's best to do that by an editor cause he said that if there is any black on the screen, that is not a color matte, it can be read as an 'alpha channel', and it might not look right as a result. Is that true?

harmonica44 said:

Okay thanks. So you're saying it's better to just export on the aspect ratio, you want, instead of adding black bars then?

I thought maybe some systems might play it weird or stretch the footage on a 16:9 TV if I did that.

As for the black bars being different colors, I was told that it's best to do that by an editor cause he said that if there is any black on the screen, that is not a color matte, it can be read as an 'alpha channel', and it might not look right as a result. Is that true?

Click to expand...

Try it!