Apple Final Cut Pro 7 - Manual (Page 1177)

Video Is Not 72 Dots per Inch
There is a myth in video graphic design: Because some older computer displays used 72
pixels per inch, all video created on a computer must be at this resolution. This is not true
or necessary. The dimensions of a video image are dependent only on the number of
horizontal and vertical pixels used in the image. Pixel dimensions alone determine the
resolution of a video image. You can easily test this yourself by creating two 720 x 480
images in a still graphics program, setting one image to a resolution of 300 dots per inch
(dpi) and the other to 72 dpi. Import both images into Final Cut Pro and compare the
two. They are absolutely identical. This is because video editing software does not use
the dpi setting of a graphics image.
Even though the dpi setting for your graphics is irrelevant for working with video, keep
in mind that many people may still adhere to a policy that graphics for video must be
72 dpi. To avoid confusion with other graphic designers, you can leave your video graphics
at 72 dpi. Just know that there is nothing special about this setting.
Bit Depth of Imported Graphics
Final Cut Pro can import graphics with a bit depth of up to 16 bits per pixel per color
channel, although 8 bits per color channel is the bit depth most commonly used. The
more bits used to represent color in an image, the more accurately the color is represented.
This is important when you are trying to preserve color detail in motion picture or
still-image film.
Scaling a Graphic to Fit the Frame Size
If you want your imported graphic to fit entirely into your image frame, you can select
the clip once it’s edited into the Timeline and use the Scale to Sequence command to
set the scale of the graphic so that it fits as neatly as possible into your frame size.
To scale a graphic
1 Select a clip in your sequence to rescale.
2 Choose Modify > Scale to Sequence.
1177 Chapter 70 Working with Freeze Frames and Still Images