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KazuT
KazuT
Inspiring
February 19, 2025
Answered

"Scale to Frame Size" versus "Fit to Frame / Fill Frame"

  • February 19, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 1667 views

I have a project where all the shots have "Scale to Frame Size" selected. The footage is all kinds of dimensions, from 640x360 to 6144x3240. 

 

In order for resize and reposition keyframes to translate to our color vendor correctly, don't I need to undo all the "Scale to Frame Size" in the sequence and manually resize and reposition everything? Or is this unnecessary?

 

I undid "Scale to Frame Size", then selected the clips on V1 and selected "Fill Frame" (as a lot of it is 1.9:1, that seems to give me a better head start). However, for some reason I don't understand, it seems to have deleted all my keyframes (although the initial repositioning was maintained). Any idea why this would delete my keyframes?

    Correct answer R Neil Haugen

    First, changing a scale method requires complete re-computation of the image. Hence keyframes for changing are no longer applicable.

     

    Second ... there is a massive difference between scale to and set to framesize.

     

    Scale to framesize takes the image pixels of the original image, and computes the "correct'" rasterization of that image to the new framesize. And ...  any further change on that image comes from the rasterized new image pixels. NOT the original image pixels.

     

    So if you "scale to" to a smaller frame, and then want to 'zoom into' the image, you are not dealing with original image size, but the smaller image of the use on that sequence. You may not want to do that ...

     

    Set to framesize takes the original image, and does the same operation as if you simply adjusted image size in the Effects Control Panel ... and will always work from the original pixels. 

     

    From experience dealing with colorists, working in Resolve, "scale to" can be problematic in pass-through workflows in XML or EDL processes. "Set to" is generally preferred.

    1 reply

    R Neil Haugen
    R Neil HaugenCorrect answer
    Legend
    February 19, 2025

    First, changing a scale method requires complete re-computation of the image. Hence keyframes for changing are no longer applicable.

     

    Second ... there is a massive difference between scale to and set to framesize.

     

    Scale to framesize takes the image pixels of the original image, and computes the "correct'" rasterization of that image to the new framesize. And ...  any further change on that image comes from the rasterized new image pixels. NOT the original image pixels.

     

    So if you "scale to" to a smaller frame, and then want to 'zoom into' the image, you are not dealing with original image size, but the smaller image of the use on that sequence. You may not want to do that ...

     

    Set to framesize takes the original image, and does the same operation as if you simply adjusted image size in the Effects Control Panel ... and will always work from the original pixels. 

     

    From experience dealing with colorists, working in Resolve, "scale to" can be problematic in pass-through workflows in XML or EDL processes. "Set to" is generally preferred.

    Everyone's mileage always varies ...
    KazuT
    KazuTAuthor
    Inspiring
    February 19, 2025

    Thanks @R Neil Haugen.

     

    So, as far as being able to make a good turnover to color, I'm not wasting my time by un-"Scaling to Frame Size" and using "Fit to Frame / Fill Frame" instead? I want to make sure I'm not wasting my time, as this is taking several hours to do.

    R Neil Haugen
    R Neil Haugen
    Legend
    February 19, 2025

    Scaling can be an issue in turn-over workflows.

     

    For most colorists, Set To tends to pass through, although not 100%. Scale to is problematic most of the time.

     

    So the colorists I know all prefer Set to to have been used in Premiere ... but ... need a flattened exported low-res H.264 file of the entire sequence so they can lay that in an upper track, and check all cut points and can check for any scaling changes done. Time ramps and such.

     

    Conforming a project is generally a bit of a pain.

    Everyone's mileage always varies ...
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