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776Final Cut Pro User Guide
Adjust anamorphic footage
Some video camcorders and recording devices shoot at a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio
but record the data using a 4:3 aspect ratio. Sometimes the metadata tag specifying 16:9
playback in the video file is missing or set incorrectly. In Final Cut Pro, you can set this tag
so that the video plays correctly with a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio.
Note: This option is available only for the following formats: standard definition (SD) and
ARRI ALEXA 2K 4:3 (2048 x 1536).
1. In the Final Cut Pro browser or timeline, select the SD clips whose anamorphic setting
you want to adjust.
2. Open the Info inspector.
3. Click the Metadata View pop-up menu in the bottom-left corner of the Info inspector
and choose Settings.
4. Click the Anamorphic Override pop-up menu and choose Widescreen.
Change a clip’s field order
Modern video cameras and codecs support two kinds of video frame rates: progressive, in
which video is recorded and stored as a series of whole frames, and interlaced, in which
each frame is made up of two half-frames called fields. In the interlaced system, each field
contains half the frame lines; one field contains lines 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and so on, and the other
field contains lines 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and so on. When the video is played back, the TV displays
the fields in an alternating pattern, which creates an effective illusion of smooth movement.
A clip’s field order determines the temporal order of fields within a frame. Missing or
incorrect field order metadata can result in awkward field movement and improper motion
effects rendering (in a left-to-right wipe, for example). You can correct this order with the
Field Dominance Override pop-up menu.
1. Select a clip in the Final Cut Pro browser or timeline.
2. Open the Info inspector.
3. Click the Metadata View pop-up menu in the bottom-left corner of the Info inspector
and choose Settings.