Apple Motion 5.1.1 - Manual (Page 1056)

Chapter 26 Video and file formats 1056
It’s important to render digital video with the field order required by your playback system.
Because motion continues from one field to the next, it’s crucial that each field plays in the
correct order.
Pixel aspect ratio
Square versus nonsquare pixels
When you’re preparing to import graphics into Motion, be aware of the pixel aspect ratio you’re
using and whether your project requires you to work with square or nonsquare pixels. Graphics
created on a computer, whether scanned, painted, or rendered, will look distorted on a standard-
definition video display unless you account for the different pixel aspect ratio.
•
Use nonsquare pixels for standard-definition projects in NTSC or PAL.
•
Use square pixels for full-raster high-definition projects, 4K projects, and multimedia video that
will be played back only on computers.
•
Use square pixels for graphics used in projects with decimated raster frame sizes, such as
DVCPRO HD formats recorded with a squeezed 1280 x 1080 frame size, but which are later
stretched during playback to 1920 x 1080. Raster decimation is a strategy for lowering the data
rate of recorded HD video; however, the final result is almost always mastered at the nearest
corresponding full-raster resolution. By creating composited graphics and animation at the
full-raster resolution used for output, you’ll simplify your asset creation, and guarantee the
highest quality.
Create graphics that look correct when output to video
1 In your graphics application, create a frame size that’s the square pixel equivalent of the video
frame size you’re using.
For example, if you’re working in DV-PAL with a nonsquare video frame size of 720 x 576, your
graphic should have a square pixel frame size of 768 x 576. If you’re working in Broadcast HD
1080 with a square frame size of 1920 x 1080, your graphic should have a square pixel frame size
of 1920 x 1080.
2 Create the graphic.
3 Do one of the following:
•
In your graphics program, rescale the graphic from the square frame size used to create it to
the nonsquare equivalent used in Motion.
•
Save your image as is.
4 In your Motion project, select the object in the Media list of the Project pane, open the Media
Inspector, then choose the correct aspect ratio from the Pixel Aspect Ratio pop-up menu.
67% resize factor