Outputting 16x9 as 4x3 in Final Cut Pro

By jeff on January 17, 2008 10:00 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

In Final Cut Pro to get a 16 x 9 sequence to output in a 4 x 3 space can be a very frustrating task, but it doesn't need to be. There is a very easy way to do this that most people overlook. All you have to do is open a DV NTSC 48 kHz sequence, and then drag the 16 x 9 sequence from the Browser window into the the timeline of the DV NTSC 48 kHz sequence. Final Cut Pro will see the sequence as a clip and will ask you if you want to change the sequence settings to match the clip settings, answer NO.

An example of when you might want to do this is if you need to have a 320 x 240 Quicktime movie to be converted to flash. Once you have brought the 16 x 9 sequence into the DV NTSC 48 kHz sequence, you will want to export it using the Quicktime Conversion. You will leave the format as QuickTime Movie, and click the Options button. Once the Movie Settings interface is open you will want to click the size button, and set the size to 320 x 240 QVGA. Now just click OK in the Export Size Settings and Movie Settings windows, and then Save to complete this task.