Resizing videos with different aspect ratios in Media Encoder

Report · Nov 09, 2022

Hi there,

I have been having this issue for years where I have had to do the fix manually which takes way more time.

My job requires that I resize lots of videos and compress them to make them easy to share. The videos are from all sorts of different aspect ratios. 16:9, 4:3, 2.35:1 etc HD,4K etc.. I still havent found a way in media encoder where you can batch compress the original videos to export with a setting where the longest edge is set and the short edge changes for each individual video.

If I have a 2:35.1 video and I compress it and resize it from 1920 on the long edge to say 1000p on the long edge. With the scaling lock selected, the video correctly scales, but any other video in the queue will be fitted into that framing. So a 16:9 video will be exported with big black boxes to the sides for example.

It there a way to make this just scale per video in the queue whereby if you want all videos of varying aspect ratios, to have the longest edge being a set length (e.g 1000p) the short edge scales proportianally leaving no black space around it?

I have been struggling with this for so long, I would really appreciate any advice.

See attached to help visualise what I am talking about!

Thanks

Report · Nov 09, 2022

You refer to batch compressing and the "queue." I assume that AME/PR allows the frame size to be set per file. So I assume you are trying to export different frame/aspect in ONE file. But "queue" implies to me that you are exporting multiple files.

Could you clarify - Exporting multiple frame aspects in one file or one frame aspect per file?

Stan

Report · Nov 09, 2022

Thanks Stan.
So yes If I am batch compressing 50 files in the queue. If I set the aspect ratio of the first video in the queue to resize as per the longest edge.. the videos that are compressed after, will be put into the same resolution black box as the first video. So it would seem that media encoder does not automatically adjust the short edge on each video and just applies the overall resolution as per the first video.

I dont want to have to go through 50 videos and adjust the settings indivisually. Other adobe products like Lightroom etc enable you to resize all sorts of different aspect ratios as per the longest edge.

I hope this makes sense.

Report · Nov 09, 2022

Only a moment now, so can't play with alternatives.

"Any video in the queue" can receive its own settings, but yes, they must be selected one line at a time. And no, I don't see an option for "frame aspect" as opposed to the "aspect" which is pixel aspect. I hope I'm missing something and someone else chimes in.

So one option would be for you to have presets for each export pixel size, which also sets the frame aspect. Do you have to also change pixel aspect? That might reduce the manual work. You could apply the multiple selections at once for those that are the same.

Stan

Report · Nov 09, 2022

Thanks Stan - I think I may have found a workaround whereby you set the longest edge of the resolution for the video with the squarest shape (in this case 16:9) and then the thinner videos don't seem to have a black box for some reason. It feels a bit of a shaky fix but it seemed to work for now. Other than that grouping files with the same aspect ratios will have to do for now.

Thanks