About Anamorphic 16:9 Media
(p. 427)
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Recording Anamorphic Video
(p. 430)
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Capturing Anamorphic Media
(p. 431)
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Changing Clip Properties for Anamorphic Media
(p. 431)
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Viewing and Editing Anamorphic Media
(p. 432)
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Specifying Sequence Settings for Anamorphic Media
(p. 433)
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Outputting Anamorphic Video to Tape
(p. 434)
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Exporting 16:9 Anamorphic Video
(p. 434)
About Anamorphic 16:9 Media
The term anamorphic refers to a distorted image that appears normal when viewed
with an appropriate lens. When shooting film or video, an anamorphic lens can be used
to squeeze a wide image onto a standard 4:3 aspect ratio frame. During projection or
playback, the image must be “unsqueezed,” stretching the image back to its original
aspect ratio.
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Part V
Appendixes
This image format is called 16:9 anamorphic because the intended aspect ratio is 16:9,
even though it appears as 4:3 (and therefore squeezed) under normal circumstances.
Traditional anamorphic film techniques use squeezing and stretching lenses for both
filming and projection. For anamorphic video, the squeezing can be achieved through
a lens or electronically in the camera charge-coupled device (CCD). For example, some
digital video cameras can capture a widescreen image on the CCD and then squeeze
the image width to 720 pixels for recording as NTSC or PAL. If you watch this image on
a standard definition (SD) monitor, it appears squeezed.