You have several options for creating widescreen video:

• You can simply shoot 4:3 video and crop it in a widescreen project. You can also shoot regular 4:3 video and crop it after adding it to your project. See example A below. Masking your camera’s LCD or field monitor with tape can help you keep the action in the 16:9 portion of the frame.

• You can use your camera’s 16:9 widescreen mode.  

  Some cameras simply mask the top and bottom of your frame to produce a 16:9 image. See Example B below. The frame is simply a 4:3 frame with black bars at the top and bottom of the frame. You can crop the video to remove the letterboxing.

  In 16:9 widescreen mode, some cameras mask the top and bottom of your frame to produce a 16:9 image and then stretch the cropped image to fit the 4:3 frame. See example C below. The camera then marks the video as anamorphic widescreen media. When you set your project to use a widescreen project template, the video fills the widescreen frame with no cropping or panning. You get the widescreen look, but you lose 25% of your camera’s vertical resolution.

  Some cameras have more CCD elements than are required for DV and can create anamorphic video by using these pixels to create a wider field of view and masking the top and bottom of the frame. See example D below. The camera marks the video as anamorphic widescreen media. When you set your project to use a widescreen project template, the video fills the widescreen frame with no cropping or panning.

  Some cameras have a true 16:9 CCD and will create true widescreen video. See example E below.

• You can use an anamorphic lens adapter. An anamorphic lens adapter shoots widescreen video without sacrificing resolution. The full vertical resolution of your camera is used, but the lens adapter effectively extends the horizontal resolution to create a widescreen frame. See example E below. After adding media to your project, you’ll need to open the Properties dialog for the media file and choose the appropriate widescreen setting from the Pixel aspect ratio drop-down list.

To determine how your camera creates 16:9 video, please refer to the manufacturer’s documentation. If you shoot a scene in 4:3 mode and 16:9 mode without changing the zoom level or other settings, the following illustrations can help you determine how your camera creates 16:9 video:

1. Create a project.

2. Choose a widescreen template in the Project Properties dialog.

1. From the File menu, choose Properties to display the Project Properties window.

2. Select the Video tab.

3. From the Template drop-down list, choose the appropriate NTSC or PAL widescreen template.

3. Right-click the Video Preview window and choose Simulate Device Aspect Ratio from the shortcut menu so your video is displayed in with its unsqueezed proportions.

4. Add media to your project and edit it on the timeline as you would edit a standard project.

5. If you have video that was shot using an anamorphic lens adapter, you’ll need to set its pixel aspect ratio:

If your camera’s 16:9 widescreen mode creates anamorphic video, this step is not required.

1. Right-click the file in the Project Media window and choose Properties from the shortcut menu.

2. Choose the appropriate widescreen setting from the Pixel aspect ratio drop-down list.

3. Click OK.

6. Crop 4:3 or masked 4:3 video:

1. Click the Event Pan/Crop icon on the event to display the Event Pan/Crop dialog.

2. Right-click the workspace and choose Match Output Aspect from the shortcut menu.

3. Adjust the selection box to recompose your shot or remove the black bars from the masked video.

   You may have to use keyframes to move the crop area (pan-and-scan editing) so your subject remains within the frame.

4. Click OK.

7. Render your project:

• If you’re printing to tape or having your project transferred to film, render using the NTSC DV Widescreen or PAL DV Widescreen AVI template.

• If you’re creating a widescreen video for a DVD Architect project, render using the DVD Architect NTSC Widescreen video stream, DVD Architect 24p NTSC Widescreen video stream, or DVD Architect PAL Widescreen video stream MainConcept MPEG-2 template.

If you want to create letterboxed version of your video, perform the steps in the Creating your widescreen project heading to create a widescreen DV AVI file, and then perform the following steps.

1. Create a new project.

2. Choose a 4:3 template in the Project Properties dialog.

3. Add the widescreen DV AVI file to the timeline.

4. Render your project using a 4:3 template.

If you have a widescreen external monitor, choose NTSC DV Widescreen or PAL DV Widescreen from the If project format is invalid for DV output, conform to the following drop-down list on the Preview Device tab of the Preferences dialog. Your widescreen project will be displayed at its full resolution on the monitor.

If you don’t have a widescreen external monitor, choose NTSC DV or PAL DV instead of a widescreen setting. Your widescreen video will be letterboxed to fit on the 4:3 display.