Resolution problems with Fraps and Vegas

[Lafawnduh]

Hey,

I am currently trying to create a Machinima and I am using Fraps and Sony Vegas 6.0 to do so.

Before I start filming all the scenes, and start getting some WoW Model Viewer recordings, I want to make sure that I do it in a way that preserves the quality as much as possible.


My computer screen resolution is 1280 x 768 and I am assuming that I have the same resolution set in game. (I will double check in a bit).

I am trying to find out, what is the best way to make a movie that is in real widscreen ratio. (16:9) My computer is considered widescreen, however, it is not quite 16:9.

What settings do I put at the beginning when creating a Vegas project, what settings to I put in model viewer or fraps to get the right footage?

I am fine with cutting off the top and bottom of the footage to be able to make it true widescreen, however, I don't want any stretching, or loss of quality.



Again, I am looking to make the highest quality end product without any stretching of the ingame or model viewer footage.

Thanks in advance for any help!

- Laf

[itloser]

If you are encoding the video @ full resolution you are playing, set your Vegas project to that exact same resolution. I do that for my resolution, which is 1680x1050 which is ~16x10.

To answer your model viewer question, the easiest thing I found was to find 1 step up from your current resolution, or at least the closest to it. Until they release the new version that is. So for my 1680x1050 I have to use their 1600x1200.

The next version is supposed to have a custom canvas option, like they use to have.

[Lafawnduh]

Originally Posted by itloser

If you are encoding the video @ full resolution you are playing, set your Vegas project to that exact same resolution. I do that for my resolution, which is 1680x1050 which is ~16x10.

To answer your model viewer question, the easiest thing I found was to find 1 step up from your current resolution, or at least the closest to it. Until they release the new version that is. So for my 1680x1050 I have to use their 1600x1200.

The next version is supposed to have a custom canvas option, like they use to have.

Alright, I think I am starting to understand it.

Would the following not destroy the clarity?:

1. Record ingame footage normally. It will record the screen at 1280 x 768.
2. Set the canvas size to either 1280 x 768 or bigger for better resolution.

What settings do I put at the beginning of creating a project or at the end when rendering to make it widescreen, by cutting the edges, not stretching?

[fony]

http://www.warcraftmovies.com/movieview.php?id=37464

i explain it in this video.. project setup at the beginning and rendering at the end

[Lafawnduh]

Originally Posted by fony

http://www.warcraftmovies.com/movieview.php?id=37464

i explain it in this video.. project setup at the beginning and rendering at the end

Very informative movie!

I still have a question on what to do with my specific settings, though.

I just double checked and when I run Fraps with the setting "full screen" turned on, my movies are 1280 x 768.

Now in WoW model viewer, I goto View > Set Canvas Size > 1280x768, however once I go into the properties of the clip I make, it says 928x610.

Is there something I am doing wrong? Why isnt the model viewer clip coming out as 1280x768?



Also, on an unrelated question, is there any way in Vegas to join clips together? The reason I ask is when I am creating animation chains (a guy standing, then running, then jumping) I have to put three separate clips together. Now when I go into the effects to use chroma keyer, it is a pain to go through it on each little spliced video clip. I want to be able to join them all together, then just do chroma keyer once or pan/crop once. Is this possible?

Thanks again for the info so far!

[Lafawnduh]

Shameless bump.