Resizing images in Virtualdub

[mjf314]

I have some JPEG images that I want to import into Virtualdub and save as an AVI. The problem is that the images are not all the same aspect ratio. Most of them are approximately 800 (width) x 1200 (height). I want to resize all the images to a constant height of 720, and then pillarbox them into a 4:3 aspect ratio so that the narrower images have black bars on the sides. Is there any way to do this in Virtualdub (without having to use an external program to edit each image)?

Also, which compression settings would you recommend? Is there a particular codec that's good for this sort of task? Or should I just leave it uncompressed? Each image is ~200KB, and it's a slideshow, so each image is significantly different from the previous image.

[jagabo]

VirtualDub can resize and letterbox or pillarbox but you'll have to handle each image separately then save it out after resizing -- or at least all the ones the same size. Use the resizing filter -- resize in the top section, letterbox or pillarbox in the lower section. You could resize individual images then open them all and save as AVI, or you can save each image as an AVI and concatenate them all later.

If you leave the frame rate really low (like 1/5 frame per second) and you're only making a slideshow to view on the computer you probably don't even need to compress the video. If you want to make the files a little smaller (1/2) you can use HuffYUV or Lagarith. If you want much smaller use Xvid or MJPEG.

[mjf314]

Thanks.

I have another question: How do I open one image at a time? I tried unchecking the "Automatically load linked segments" box, but it still automatically opens all of the images (they're numbered sequentially). Do I need to rename each image before opening it?

[mjf314]

Another question: When I use the resize filter, which filter mode should I use? Precise bicubic (A=-0.75) or something else?

Edit: Sorry for the double post, I clicked quote by accident instead of edit.

[jagabo]

Other than renaming the files I don't know any way to stop VirtualDub from opening sequential images. Precise Bicubic sharpens a little -- the higher the A value the sharper it gets. Lanczos sharpens a little bit more. Sharpening increases noise a little and will require higher bitrates when encoding. Precise Bilinear is less sharp and slightly reduces noise. Use whatever looks best to you.