Does anyone know how to put images on the sides of videos?

[Guernsey]

I am trying to do a Let's Play for my SNES and Genesis games but the videos that I upload always end up getting black bars on them. One suggestion that was made to me is that can I can put images on the side of videos to "cover" up the black bars but I don't know how. Can anyone show me how do it? I have Cyberlink Power Director 12 as my editor.

Here is an example of what I am looking for:

[manono]

They're not always (or even often) added just to the sides to cover up the black. More common, I think, is to begin with a full widescreen pattern, like that checkerboard thing in your first picture. Originally it would stretch all the way across the wide screen. Then on top of that is placed the narrower video.

For your second one, I commonly see something like that in the evening news where the video was made from a phone video. They first take the video and stretch it to the full 1.78:1 ratio of a widescreen television (or crop it to 1.78:1 as in your example) and then blur the hell out of it. Then the video in its original aspect ratio is placed on top of that. Notice that for your lower picture, the blurred sides are just the sides of the 'real' video.

I am trying to do a Let's Play for my SNES and Genesis games but the videos that I upload always end up getting black bars on them.

Nothing wrong with black bars. All my uploaded videos have black bars, too. Doesn't bother me. What's important is that your videos play in the correct aspect ratio.

I would think all NLEs have this layering ability, but I don't know anything about Power Director.

[Cornucopia]

Something simple like black bars compresses better than still picture which in turn compresses better than video, so there is that to consider if quality is important to you.

Scott

[pandy]

Usually this is called Overlay and in your case you need load some picture as background and game video is overlayed on top.

[Guernsey]

They're not always (or even often) added just to the sides to cover up the black. More common, I think, is to begin with a full widescreen pattern, like that checkerboard thing in your first picture. Originally it would stretch all the way across the wide screen. Then on top of that is placed the narrower video.

For your second one, I commonly see something like that in the evening news where the video was made from a phone video. They first take the video and stretch it to the full 1.78:1 ratio of a widescreen television (or crop it to 1.78:1 as in your example) and then blur the hell out of it. Then the video in its original aspect ratio is placed on top of that. Notice that for your lower picture, the blurred sides are just the sides of the 'real' video.

I am trying to do a Let's Play for my SNES and Genesis games but the videos that I upload always end up getting black bars on them.

Nothing wrong with black bars. All my uploaded videos have black bars, too. Doesn't bother me. What's important is that your videos play in the correct aspect ratio.

I would think all NLEs have this layering ability, but I don't know anything about Power Director.

I will have to take your word for it. Thanks.

Usually this is called Overlay and in your case you need load some picture as background and game video is overlayed on top.

I guess I just have to figure out how layer the picture on the video.

[pandy]

Usually this is called Overlay and in your case you need load some picture as background and game video is overlayed on top.

I guess I just have to figure out how layer the picture on the video.

It should be straightforward - usually you need to have another video track and use picture as source - then usually it is repeated as video i.e. looped multiple times.
This task is quite easy to perform in Avisynth for example or ffmpeg but i don't know Cyberlink Power Director at all and as such i can't guide how to do this.
There is more than one way to do such things but overlay should be simplest.

[Brainiac]

I have PD 12. Don't know if there are any differences.

Brainiac

[Guernsey]

^ Thanks a lot.

IT was tricky to get at first because I had bit of trouble with resiziing the image but I think I got the hang of it.