Converting a widescreen video for youtube

[theguy1991]

I just got a new Canon ZR900 and it shoots widescreen. I capture the video with firewire using Ulead videostudio10. I get an avi file that's 720X480. When I upload the 720x480 video on Youtube, it adds a small letterbox but it still makes the video look thin. I have Ulead Videostudio10, Adobe After Effects 7, and Virtualdub. I don't know what size I should resize the video to to make it have enough letterbox to make the video look normal. I also don't want to lose a lot of video quality.

[jagabo]

Youtube is going to resize to 320x240 so you might as well do that yourself:

[theguy1991]

Okay, but I don't know what codec to use...It's a DV file.

[Baldrick]

You can use divx codec or xvid codec.

[theguy1991]

Thanks for your help, but it doesn't look good. I know that youtube automatically adds a letterbox to widescreen videos. When I uploaded the 720x480 vid to youtube , they added the letterbox. I need to make the 720x480 to a different resolution to be a 16 : 9 and be less than 1 GB. 720x480 is 3:2 I believe.

[manono]

When I uploaded the 720x480 vid to youtube , they added the letterbox.

Of course they did. 720x480 is 1.5:1, and they add black above and below to make it 1.33:1. 720x480 is the wrong aspect ratio anyway. I see a lot of idiots at YouTube uploading 720x480 videos which YouTube then downsizes and adds black to. It's just a sign of incompetence. But at least you care to learn how to do it right and that's a good sign.

As you have discovered, you're doing it all wrong. So, choose a 1.78:1 widescreen resolution, such as 624x352, 512x288, or jagabo's 320x180, and add black to make a 1.33:1 ratio, such as 624x468, 512x384, or jagabo's 320x240. Then encode to XviD or DivX as suggested. That will already have the black bars and YouTube won't add any more.

Didn't you understand what jagabo went to great lengths to explain? Just follow his instructions.

[theguy1991]

I did follow his method, but I wasn't satisfied with the quality because it was so small. But I'll use your larger widescreen resolutions now. Thanks.

[jagabo]

Try resizing to 640x360 and letterbox to 640x480.

[manono]

Yeah, Even though 624x352 is a good 1.77:1 resolution, the resulting 624x468 is less than ideal for a couple of reasons. A few hours after I posted I decided I should edit that and suggest the same thing you did, jagabo. And you beat me to it.

So, if after going from 640x360 to 640x480, theguy1991, and it still looks lousy, then either the bitrate is too low or you're doing something else wrong, perhaps a lousy deinterlace or no deinterlace at all (if that camera shoots interlaced video).

[theguy1991]

I finally got it. Thanks guys for your help.