Can I convert keyframe positions from 16:9 to 4:3?

Kricke73 wrote on 8/16/2014, 12:47 PM

When I first make a video for the 16:9 format everything is fine. I mask faces with video/movement effects and keyframes to hide peoples identity in it. But if I then change the format to 4:3 the keyframe positions suddenly are wrong because they dont change with the video (still for 16:9 and not for 4:3). So is there a way to convert the keyframe positions from one format to another so it also fits with the new one? It often takes several days and nights to replace the keyframe positions to fit with 4:3 so it would be lovely if I could do it with just the push of a button.

I would be extremely thankful if someone could help me with this and if this isnt possible that function should defeniately be incorporated in the program.

Comments

johnebaker wrote on 8/16/2014, 6:13 PM

You have to adjust them manually or create to seperate projects - one 16:9 and the other 4:3.

. . . . if this isnt possible that function should defeniately be incorporated in the program . . . .

This 'issue' is well known - the problem is where to set the reference point for positioning, normally top left of the video screen is used as 0,0.

If you were to use the top left, for example, of the video then when you move the video your reference point moves - this is not a satisfactory method as you end up with multiple reference points.

You should be getting this message when you change the aspect ratio on exporting

As you can see, it clearly states that objects may move or not be in the correct position.

John

Kricke73 wrote on 8/16/2014, 6:35 PM

Thanks for the dissapointing but honest answer. Another solution is to first produce a HD-quality video in 16:9 with all the keyframes in correct positions and then use it as an original source for a 4:3 video. I have tried this but the strange is that outside Movie Edit Pro the 19:6 video has a top quality and performance but when I open it in the programme the quality is suddenly far worse. Can you explain why and what I should do to make an "original" that doesnt act in this way?

johnebaker wrote on 8/17/2014, 2:56 AM

. . . . Can you explain why and what I should do to make an "original" that doesnt act in this way? . . . .

Export the 16:9 movie as Video as Magix video (MXV) - then import this into the 4:3 project. The MXV file format is the native file format of MEP and is not compressed so highly as the other formats.

The loss of quality depends on which format you are exporting to and resolution of the 4:3 video - most video formats are subject to some degree of compression on export, mp4, mov and wmv in particular are very highly compressed. If you are exporting or aiming for a 4:3 DVD quality video then you are losing even more quality as you drop the resolution from 1920*1080 (Full HD) down to 720*576 PAL or 720*480 (NTSC).

If you then playback a DVD on a HD TV then you are adding to the quality issue as you are upscaling the video and are dependant on the quality of the upscaling algorithms in the player or TV.

If you are producing a DVD increase the sharpness - Ctrl+Shift+H - of the movie (I use a value of 72).

In the Burn dialog set the bitrate to the maximum possible that will allow the video to fit on the disc - you will be warned if it is too high and given the opportunity to adjust and

On playback you do not notice the loss of data due to compression because of the algorithms used to rebuid the image are very good and the brain is conned into see a sharp clear image . However in a single frame the individual quality is poor - this you see when you reimport a compressed format back into MEP.

Going back to the days of film - a widescreen movie in the cinema looks sharp and clear, yet if you were to look at a single frame of the film it would be grainy and poor quality.

Video and film are an illusion - the persistence of the eye / brain combination cannot keep up with the speed of change at 24 fps and higher and interprets the sequence of single 'images' in the movie to see movement and a 'clear' image.

HTH

John

Kricke73 wrote on 8/17/2014, 6:47 AM

Thank you very much John for your advices and the long explanation, I will try your recommendations right away.

Cheers from Kristofer

Kricke73 wrote on 8/23/2014, 12:41 AM

First I tried without compression at all (AVI) but that made the file to a 152 gb and very tough handled video for the program. Then I tried with MXV and that worked very well but when I set the sharpness to 72 (like you wrote) it made the video to sharp in the upper and lower edges and the perspective also felt less deep. So I set it to "only" 20 which I think is far enought for a good picture if the ground source is sharp.