Black Bars on the top and Bottom of my *exported* video

[ViaLiv88]

Hello All,

I hope someone here can help me I have been searching for an answer to this for hours and haven't had any luck. I am working on a project that i'm only editing and this is the first time I've run across this problem. The sequences were made before it was passed on to me. Anyway, my source footage is 2048 x 1080, the sequence matches as far as I can tell. In preview, everything looks normal, during the exporting process, everything looks normal. But once I begin export and after export, there are black bars on the top and bottom of the video. I can not for the life of me figure out why, everything seems to match from what I can tell, including aspect ratio. What am I doing wrong? I have provided screenshots of the information. Thanks in advance for your help.

My source video information:

My sequence settings:

My export settings:

As you can see before export, there are no black bars on the image...as soon as I click to queue and press start, I can see black bars on the top and bottom of the video while it's exporting, and then it shows up in the final product.

Thanks again could really use some help I need to get this stuff done on a deadline

[Stan Jones]

How are you viewing the export? Make sure you are not up or downscaling it to a monitor size, nor fitting it to a window.

[ViaLiv88]

Hi Stan,

Thank you for the reply! I have been watching the video on the Movies & TV player that comes up on my PC automatically. I just watched it in VLC player and it doesn't seem the black bars are there though which is confusing.  I uploaded the video to my google drive to share with the producer though, and the video had the black bars within that play back as well.

[Stan Jones]

This is a more cinematic aspect ratio, and some players will achieve that by adding bars. What is the final display platform?

[ViaLiv88]

Ah I see. I believe the final intention for these are to be online (they are product videos). This is the 3rd batch I've done for them and none of the previous had black bars that I know of which is why I was freaking out about them being there. This is the first time I've gotten footage in aspect ratio from them as well.

[Stan Jones]

Is the pixel size different than the previous projects?

[ViaLiv88]

Hm that's a good question. It's actually been a few months since I did those and I no longer have the files. I want to say that the pixel size wasn't different though just based on what I do remember. The first set of footage I received was in 4k, I didn't have any issues. The second set was 1920 x 1080 and I didn't have this issue then either.

[Stan Jones]

If I understand correctly, 3 batches, the first 2 being 16:9 display ratio, and the 3rd set, more like 17:9.

If they are placing on the web, they can probably control the player to avoid the black lines.

[Jim_Simon · Accepted solution]

2048 x 1080 is wider than the standard 16:9, so you will see black bars no matter where you watch it.

[ViaLiv88]

Omg okay I thought I was going crazy! This makes so much sense. So there is no way for me to export the video without those black bars then? Thank you so much for your help!

[Jim_Simon]

there is no way for me to export the video without those black bars then?

At that resolution, no.

Keep in mind that the video itself doesn't contain the black bars.  They're added by the player because displays are 1.77, and your video is 1.89.

Dropping it into a 1920 x 1080 sequence will cut off some of the image.  That's not necessarily wrong, just something to be aware of.

[Stan Jones]

Jim_Simon  wrote

2048 x 1080 is wider than the standard 16:9, so you will see black bars no matter where you watch it.

I don't think that is true. This is DCI 2K native, and VLC plays it with no black bars, depending on settings.

Also, imported back to PR, no black bars are actually part of the exported image.

[Ann Bens]

Drop the file in a 1920x1080 timeline...

[ViaLiv88]

Okay dropping it into a 1920x1080 timeline fixed it. Thank you so much!!!

[Stan Jones]

Ann, were you suggesting ViaLiv use a 1920x1080 sequence? Or that I drop my export into a 1920x1080 sequence for testing. Doing that cropped left and right. And scaling (either set to or scale to) adds black bars top and bottom.

I don't know what the client actually wants. I believe that they are better off with a 16:9 final, whatever the pixel size. The source files provided this time are an odd size for web delivery.

[Ann Bens]

No the suggestion was actually for you to test its not really 16:9.

[Jim_Simon]

VLC plays it with no black bars,

Watch it full screen.

[Stan Jones]

Jim_Simon  wrote

VLC plays it with no black bars,

Watch it full screen.

Fascinating. On one PC (VLC 3.0.4, 4K display), I can find no combination of settings that result in black bars. Displays the full piece in correct aspect. So, moved to another PC (2 displays, 2160x1440 and 1920x1080), I cannot get rid of the black bars, including forcing the aspect to 17:9. Go figure.

PowerDVD 17 displays it correctly on both PCs.

In any event, I think we're agreed that the video itself does not have black bars, and that this aspect ratio is trouble for display.

[Jim_Simon]

My guess is your 4K display is 4096 x 2160, which is the same aspect as the export in question.

Being DCI spec, I have no problem with the black bars.

[donny19631]

Ok the reason your seeing thes BLACK BRARS are not from the video at all, it's from the player,  For example if you record footage at 4K DCI, the resolution will be 4096 x 2160. 

Than if you export your video to normal 4K resolution which is 3840 × 2160 

you will notice they would be black bars on the top and bottem, because the original video was recorded in 4096 wide,
But playing it back at 3840 wide, so your losing 256 from top to bottom that is where your black bars come in to fill in the gaps..
I wouldn't worry about the black bars if i was you, but if you must, what you can do is in Adobe Premier pro is either (A) go into editing and Scale the Video providing you sequence is 3840 X 2160 and you will elimiate the black bars.
Or you can just simply Change the Sequence settings Frame size to   3840 Horizontal and make sure the vertical is 2160 wich is a 16:9 aspect ration..
How ever 4K DCI 4096 X 2160 aspect ration is,  256∶135 or ≈1.90∶1 aspect ratio)

see the differnce, if you recored 4K DCI then expect the black bars when down scaling to 4K 3840 X 2160
But why down scale because your losing 256 pixels so why bother to record in 4096 X 2160 when your only exporting it to 3840 X 2160?
Your not going to get that much of better quality by downscaling 256 pixels, at all you won't even notice it..
So there is no reason to downscale your 4K DCI to 3840 X 2160 that is simply dumb..
If you recored if 4K DCI then Export it with the same aspect ration 4096 X 2160, and don't worry about the black bars.
If the Black bars simply botehrs you too much then just record it at 3840 X 2160 16:9 aspect ration and your all set.

[jean31791366sl14]

Trying removing the VR option when exporting your video.
It worked for me.