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ninose11
ninose11
Inspiring
January 8, 2025
Answered

4:3 newsreel in 1080P frame good, but when converted back to 4:3 has choppy playback

  • January 8, 2025
  • 2 replies
  • 372 views

I have some old WW2 stock footage I got from the national archives. The aspect ratio of the original footage was of course 4:3 but handed to me in a 1920x1080 aspect ratio mp4 clip. I thought I might save space by exporting the 1920x1080 clip (using Handbrake or Shutter Encoder) as a 1440x1080 (4:3) clip by cropping out the left and right space which isn't needed. But I see that after doing this, the cropped footage stutters in Premiere Pro when I skim through it looking for scenes. Interestingly though, that same footage is buttery smooth to navigate through when displayed inside the 1920x1080 aspect ratio clip.  Is this normal? Does Premiere Pro have trouble with 4:3 aspect ratio footage? Is that why the image stutters when I rewind or fast forward through it?      

    Correct answer PaulMurphy

    Rather than exporting a new version of the footage, you can change the aspect ratio using a Source Clip effect. Here’s how:

    1. Load the clip in the Source Monitor.
    2. Drag the Transform effect from the Effects panel onto the Source panel.
    3. Go to the Effect Controls panel and locate the Transform effect settings.
    4. Uncheck Uniform Scaling.
    5. Set the Scale Width to 84.3 (calculated as 1620/1920*100).


    This method avoids the need to re-export your footage and directly adjusts the aspect ratio.

    2 replies

    P
    Community Expert
    PaulMurphyCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    January 9, 2025

    Rather than exporting a new version of the footage, you can change the aspect ratio using a Source Clip effect. Here’s how:

    1. Load the clip in the Source Monitor.
    2. Drag the Transform effect from the Effects panel onto the Source panel.
    3. Go to the Effect Controls panel and locate the Transform effect settings.
    4. Uncheck Uniform Scaling.
    5. Set the Scale Width to 84.3 (calculated as 1620/1920*100).


    This method avoids the need to re-export your footage and directly adjusts the aspect ratio.

    Kevin J. Monahan Jr.
    Kevin J. Monahan Jr.
    Legend
    January 9, 2025

    Hey @PaulMurphy and @ninose11, 

    This works so well. I was not able to do this when I match framed the clip back from a sequence. However, once I revealed the clip in the Project panel and reloaded it into the Source Monitor, and it worked. Nice.

     

    Question for you: would you consider it a bug if I couldn't perform this function from a clip that was match framed? I've always considered it the original source clip. It's not? Thanks for any light you can shed on this. I can double check with engineering and file a bug if that is the case.

     

    Cheers,
    Kevin

     

    Kevin Monahan - Sr. Community and Engagement Strategist – Adobe Pro Video and Audio
    P
    Community Expert
    PaulMurphyCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    January 10, 2025

    Hi @Kevin-Monahan,

    This method works whether you're loading the clip from the Project panel or using Match Frame from the sequence. If you're using Match Frame, make sure the Source tab is selected at the top of the Effect Controls panel.

    Also, just a quick check—are you working in a Production? If so, keep in mind that Match Frame doesn't always take you directly to the source clip if the clip is located in a different project within the Production.

    Cheers,

    Paul

    Kevin J. Monahan Jr.
    Kevin J. Monahan Jr.
    Legend
    January 9, 2025

    Hi @ninose11,

    Thanks for the question. Sounds like an interesting project. If I were to have this trouble, I'd verify all the technical details of the original clip. It is interlaced or progressive? If interlaced, what is the field dominance? Is it 23.976, 29.97, or 24fps? If you can verify  the source settings and then match them to the encoding software, it should work fine. You might also try Media Encoder instead of those open source apps. Let me know if the advice helps.

     

    Thanks,
    Kevin

     

    Kevin Monahan - Sr. Community and Engagement Strategist – Adobe Pro Video and Audio
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