Aspect ratio help

[kkiller23]

I'm using Gordian knot for DVD to XviD, and i'm trying to keep the Aspect ratio 4:3 like the source... how do i do this is gk? I really don't understand the hole AR thing... any help would be great.

[manono]

Make the D2V and open it in GKnot. Go to the Resolution tab. If it's really from a 4:3 DVD (DGIndex will tell you if 4:3 or 16:9), make sure the Pixel Aspect Ratio is set for 4:3 and either NTSC or PAL, whichever the DVD is. Then tick "Pixel Crop" and start cropping away the black from around the 4 sides until you're left with nothing but active video. Change the Width to whatever width you want (640, 576, 512, etc), and the Height will follow. Try and get a small Aspect Error (maybe less than half a per cent), which may mean cropping a couple of more pixels into the video).

There are a bunch of Gordian Knot (and AutoGK) guides listed here:

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=92089

Or save yourself the trouble and let AutoGK do the whole thing for you.

[kkiller23]

I feel dumb now, I got it thanks for your help... Also is it best to pick the source AR or no? and how do i pick the right resolution? I've been just trying to make it in the 0.2 for 1CD and 0.27 for 2CDs, as i seen in a tut awhile back is that right?


thanks for your help

[manono]

I've been just trying to make it in the 0.2 for 1CD and 0.27 for 2CDs, as i seen in a tut awhile back is that right?

That's just a guideline, and whether or not it's an accurate one depends on the complexity of your source. GKnot has a compression test you can run to help you choose your resolution and filesize. Once you've run the compression test those guidelines can be ignored.

Also is it best to pick the source AR or no?

I don't understand what you're asking. Don't confuse the Display Aspect Ratio (4:3 or 16:9) with the aspect ratio of the movie (1.33:1, 1.85:1, 2.35:1, etc).

Or save yourself the trouble and let AutoGK do the whole thing for you.

[kkiller23]

Sorry about the display/aspect thing...
I was asking is it always best to try to get it as the display AR from the source, so if the source is 4:3 is it best to try to get the output as that?

and what do you mean by compression test?

[jagabo]

Note that DVD only comes in two display aspect ratios: 4:3 and 16:9. The packaging might say 2.35:1 but the actual DVD will be either 4:3 or 16:9. The movie will have black borders added to conform to one of those ARs.

If you are trimming away black borders you are changing the AR.