There's an 'Ask PapaJohn' forum at
WindowsMovieMakers.net. When Rob Morris started it, I wasn't sure what
to expect. What if no-one asks anything? What if too many ask too
much? It's worked out pretty well with a healthy balance of questions,
and I've been able to answer most.
It's a two-way street. The questions often
provide inspiration for further learning and newsletter topics.
A more experienced forum member asked what seemed like
an easy one "If you're heading toward a DVD with your movie, is it better
to use still pictures sized at 640x480 pixels or 720x480? Or doesn't
it make a difference?"
The post was obviously referring to a movie with a
standard 4:3 aspect ratio. He had studied the question and found the deeper
he looked, the more confusing the answers got.
I responded "Yes, it makes a difference and you should use
640x480". Then I went off to re-check it and support what I said...
In addition to saying it matters, I wanted to make a
visual example. Here's the video snippet I gave him as part of
the answer.
It's now a link on the Importing Source Files > Still
Pictures page of the website.
I'm glad he asked about two specific sizes.
The higher question "What are the best pixel dimensions to use for
still pictures in stories and movies?" would still be waiting for an
answer.
Here's a
pop quiz: how big is a pixel? is
it round or square?
You probably know a pixel is small, but how small? The black box
at the right is a one pixel JPG image in a 10 pixel wide black
border. If I didn't wrap the border around it, I wouldn't know where
it is. The pixel is right in the middle. I can see it, but I can't tell if
it's square or round. Maybe you can.
And here's a red square (on the left) made
of 100 pixels - 10 pixels by 10 pixels.
And finally a red image that is one pixel high and 100 pixels
wide... the line at the right. If you get into making icons, you'll
be working at the pixel level.
... before going into
it, a couple notes...
