How to maintain video aspect ratio when resizing

Question

I am making a 30 second dvd intro of a dance recital video. I created 12 short clips that will be cuts between them.  I do not want them to be full screen. I want to apply an effect that makes the clip have frayed edges and it is resized very small. I want to make them bigger so they arennearlynhalf screen.  When I click and drag it, nothing keeps the aspect ratio. I held down the shift key, which usually works in all other programs but it had no effect. I tried other keys like alt but it was a no go. How do I resize without warping the video?

Szalam · Accepted Answer

6GB ram because I only use AE for DVD intros so I dont need much horsepower there. I use Newtek Speed Edit for my editing and 6GB is flying fast enough. WIn 7 64 Bit.

Version 11.0.0. Was there something in 11.0.1 that addressed this issue? I am not keen on ever upgrading mid project.

Yeah, something is wrong but it isnt with my system because, as I said, shift drag works in all other programs except AE. It is a lean build. No Antivirus, etc. Just some CS6, Sound Forge and Speed Edit. Does AE have a keyboard mappijng section? Actually, I really do not even want to drag these clips to resize them because I have a bout 15 of them and they must all be the same. I would prefer to type in a value so I can use it for all of them. Is there a place to do that? If so, I cannot find it. I do not see anything that allows me to change the size in the FX panel settings.

trusso wrote:
I would prefer to type in a value so I can use it for all of them. Is there a place to do that? If so, I cannot find it. I do not see anything that allows me to change the size in the FX panel settings.

Why not just use the regular scale attribute? If you don't know how to access that, select your layer and press "s" on your keyboard.

Although, if you don't know how to access that, you really, really need to get a good foundation in the basics. It would help avoid such frustration in the future.

I am quite curious why you can't drag the handles though, because it works just fine here. Then again, I am running 11.0.2.12, so it could be because you don't have the bug fixes.

Smoking_Rabbit · Answer

Trusso:

Since this thread still shows "Not Answered" even though it is some years old, I recently was experiencing the same problem.

Resizing using the direct manipulation handles were not maintaining the image's original ratio while holding the [SHIFT] key while dragging.

The solution could very well be that you were (as I was) holding down the [SHIFT] button FIRST.. and THEN clicking on the direct manipulation handles and attempting to drag/resize. -If this was the case you are correct in your report that AE will not maintain/lock its resize aspect ratio.

In order to get it to work, you have to first click on the direct manipulation handles and begin your resize/drag... and THEN press the [SHIFT] key. Once you hold down [SHIFT] your image will snap into proper ratio and hold it while you change the size/ratio

I hope this helps the next person who comes along.

Have a creative day!

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