resolution questions for editing

Can I ask for some advice re how best to handle resolution for editing my GoPro footage.

Assumptions / Notes / Issues
a) Video I've got off my gopro from the weekend is 1920 × 1440 H.264
b) I'd like to use the Final Cut Pro X "titles" in my project such as the one "Pixie Dust"
c) Video Properties that get created when I drag the first video onto the time is: 2K, 2048x1536, 50p
d) I'm in a PAL region (not that this affects videos on PC/Mac I think)
e) I'd like the end video to be high quality but of 16:9 ratio I think (rather than 4:3)

Questions:

Q1 - What screen resolution should I use to edit in it FCPX? (noting video is 1920 × 1440 H.264)

Q2 - When & how in the editing process should I convert to 16:9 ratio? e.g. should this be right at the end when the video is ready, and then would I do this via a crop? Would I do the crop in FCP or somehow set it up to render/crop in one hit (in which case how would you specify where the crop is to occur) Or perhaps if every clip requires it's cropping to be at a slightly different height then perhaps this isn't the best, and one should crop as you go, i.e. as you add new clips to the timeline?

Q3 - What resolution would I typically be looking for if I'm taking a 1920 × 1440 H.264 down to 16:9?

Q4 - How does one handle using Final Cut Pro X "titles" in my project such as the one "Pixie Dust" given my editing screen resolution & then my intended final output? e.g. do you just put the titles in in FCP & immediately crop them to the final resolution? i.e. so your video may be bigger (awaiting final cropping) but the "titles" within the timeline will have been already set to the correct resolution? (make sense?)

thanks

I didn't realize the GoPro could shoot in 4:3 HD? Anyway creat a project that is HD (1920x1080) at 25fps. Drop your GoPro files into it and zoom images up to crop off the top and bottom video to suit.

Rather than zoom, set the Spacial Conform to "Fill".

But there is something not right here. If the GoPro is giving you 1920 × 1440 video, your Project timeline should have this exact same frame size. If it is setting the incorrect fame size automatically, then set it manually to 1920 × 1440. You shouldn't have to crop anything.

dumb question perhaps, but how to you manually set the resolution for the FCP project, for an existing project? I can't seem to find how to do this?

- Go to the Project Library (Command-0).
- Highlight a specific Project.
- Go to the Inspector (Command-4).
- In the Properties tab, bottom right is an icon of a wrench, click it. Project timeline settings are there.

ok thanks got it

It seems when you hit crop it automatically gives you a rectangle of the size of the project properties which is good... So I guess now I just need to go through all the clips and arrange where the cropping should occur...

Why are you cropping things?

to bring the video down from 4:3 to the 16:9 ratio

Hi, I am probably stating the obvious, but if your final output is supposed to be 16:9, why do you have your GoPro Hero3 shoot at 1920x1440p in the first place? Wouldn't it be handy to shoot at 1080p directly? So that you don't have to crop, stretch, or letterbox your footage?

After some quick research, his GoPro is capable of shooting 1440x1080 max frame size, so he has standard HD footage. I can only "assume" the OP is typing in some incorrect numbers.