Video editing problem... Please help!

[abbor]

What I have done is this:

I have Adobe Premiere Pro, and I started a project in Widescreen format instead of Normal without knowing it..

And I've edited a whole movie, spent about 24h on it, and now I can't export it properly to 4:3...

Can I somehow get the size from 16:9 to 4:3 without editing again?

[yg60m]

Sorry mate I can't help you.

[RC45]

The project specs have little effect on the exported movie format - unless you actually writing to a tape target.

I create/work all my projects as DVD format wide screen - and then simply export the movie as the deired target type.

What is going to determine the success of the export, is the selected export type and its particular parameters.

For example - you cannot export an MPeg4 movie for DVD output if you have Mpeg 2 audio slected.

Try setting the project general/video/audio vales to the desired output type - (of course save your project under a new name - always save early and save often with backup versions).

Don't bother transfering the preview files - just generate em again.

Take some screen shots of the General, Video and Audio tabs of the project and post em to help with the support.

In the worst case scenario, you may have to convert your Video source files if you run into troubles (especially with DVD authoring software hooked into your Adobe Premiere install).

Either way - the timeline edits and changes, video transperancy, motion and effects, transitions and audio panning, volume and stills should be preserved on the timeline - you would just need to regenerate any preview files in your 4:3 output format.

[RC45]

AH what the hell -- I was gonna let this topic turn into a little "Video Editing 101" but fear my travel arrangements will not allow that...

I am off to NM for a couple weeks - may not be able to check the topic for a while -

So heres the easy answer - save your project as new name - and then alter the project from DV Playback to Video for Windows - and set the aspect ratio to 4:3..

You can switch projects to and from screen formats in this way.

[abbor]

Thanks..
Okay, I tried exporting little parts of the movie in 4:3, but my problem now is this:

I select File > Export > Adobe Media Encoder and I try to export it as 4:3..

Now I get a nice little 4:3 inside a black box.. I want to remove that black box around it, so I try this:

I once again select Adobe Media Encoder, 4:3, and Pre Encoding > Crop...
I crop the selected black box, and I export... But the black box around is still there after I've done this... Why???

[RC45]

You need to change the project properties - from DV Playback, to Video for Windows - then select 4:3.

Be sure to "Save as..." to another file so you don't butcher your orginal project.

Then regenerate your previews - then export as the desired file type.

[abbor]

Okay, are you using Premiere 6 or Pro ?

[RC45]

4.x, 5.x and 6.x... abandonned Pro because of it's Vegas like interface - maybe thats what you are suffering through right now..

But in essence this is what you want to do - alter the master project aspect setting.

If Pro does not allow this then even more reason never to upgarde to Pro.