pixel aspect ratios in After Effects CS4 and other applications in Creative Suite 4 Production Premium
I'm not saying anything new in this blog post. I just wanted to gather together in one place several useful resources on the subject of the new, corrected pixel aspect ratios (PARs) that were introduced with the CS4 versions of the applications in Creative Suite 4 Production Premium.
First of all, I'll point out that these new PARs don't affect high-definition work or work that is destined for computer monitors. This issue is strictly limited to the old standard-definition television formats.
Of course, the first place that I'd hope that you'd go is the "Pixel aspect ratio and frame aspect ratio" section of After Effects Help, which gives a terse explanation of the change and provides tables with the new PARs and the new square-pixel equivalents for when you're creating square-pixel assets to work within compositions with non-square pixels.
Mike Afford has put together a good explanation on his website. Mike used to work for the BBC, but to get a direct statement from the BBC, you should check out their own paper about the underlying technical details.
Chris Meyer provides a very detailed and thorough article on the ProVideo Coalition website that explains the history and reasoning behind the new and old pixel aspect ratios and---more important---how to work with these new numbers in any circumstance.
Chris also has a "New pixel aspect ratios" video on the Lynda.com website that covers some of the same material, but in video form and not in as much depth.
Chris also shows how change a preference setting to allow you to continue to work with the old PARs in CS4 with old projects.
Comments
Thank you Todd,
i've been reading Chris Meyers entry a few days ago an i felt that you will post it here in your blog.
One fact i want to mention about the PAR stuff (we have to deal for now till) is, that they're really worthless unless (Chris noted that in its entry) other creators of NLE and Compositing applications will follow that road.
Todd, did you have read Chris entry about the SD margins in Ae CS4 which are by default wrong?
I cannot even trust Photoshop and Illustrator when creating artwork from new documents via the Film & Video presets. They are still PAL 720x576 ans PAL 720x576 Anamorphic. How their Aperture do behave if we need now PAL 788x576 and 1050x576 for widescreen graphics in Adobe Video Products but must follow old standards like on Avid or Final Cut Pro???
Still pretty confusing for my opinion.
Posted by: Thomas | July 7, 2009 8:04 AM
did my comment contained so much profanity that you did not wanted post it here?
Posted by: Thomas | July 10, 2009 4:24 AM
To be fair:
"they're really worthless unless (Chris noted that in its entry) other creators of NLE and Compositing applications will follow that road"
Actually, one of the purposes of my piece was to assure people that their current NLEs etc. will NOT be broken by introducing CS4 apps into your workflow. The frame size is the same. Footage will pass from an NLE through a CS4 app back to the NLE unchanged. In the meantime, you will be doing things more accurately (creating more perfectly round circles etc.) inside CS4 apps. So hardly worthless. (Although I do still think that the other manufacturers need to get on board as well.)
"the SD margins in Ae CS4 which are by default wrong"
They are - but not by much. Far, far less than the variation from TV to TV. The main cautionary tale is to still obey safe areas - and to move a little inside of them, to be safe - in case you have a hypersensitive client. The secondary tale is a request for Adobe to ripple the new PARs into their safe area guides as well, and to fix the centercut guides to match the safer versions folks like Disney expect. (I still have a couple of 4:3 TVs here, and see text get cut off on channels such as SpeedTV who have moved to HD.)
Sorry to have increased your confusion. My intention was to lessen panic, not increase it. Although dumping a load of detailed information out there to explain the New World Order admittedly tends to incite more confusion than calm, regardless of the subject (smile).
- Chris
Posted by: Chris Meyer | July 10, 2009 11:50 AM
hi,
IMHO the correct PAR is important, however introducing it "out of blue" is not good.
SD is still widely used here in Central Europe.
Changed PAR and affecting resolution breaks ANY 3D render now. None of 3D app does have 1.09 PAL setting. even square pixel PAL is lacking 20pixels.
what about bringing camera into AE if 3Dapp PAL resolution is still 768x576, how to ensure that camera position is correct? manually re-position?
this are some of stuff i am dealing with know, and some workaround would be nice. FBX import to AE? :D
Posted by: Marek Subocz | July 17, 2009 3:54 AM
Ok, even if all the other apps will follow, until now they work with the old PAL-Standarts and I think Adobe should be able to have both possiblities in their products, so that we are able to give the customers what they expect.
Is there a way to get the old aspects back???
Posted by: Stephan Berger | July 21, 2009 9:46 AM