[This article was first published in the September, 2010, issue of
Larry’s Final Cut Pro Newsletter. Click here to subscribe.]
David Counts asks:
When creating titles for a 16×9 movie that will go to SD DVD should I keep my text in a 4×3 title safe grid? And is the answer the same for DVD menu text created in Photoshop? I generally use Photoshop and AE to create my titles.
Larry replies: David, thanks for the question.
Title Safe is defined by a rectangle drawn 10% in from each edge of the video image. This means that the size of Title Safe varies between 4:3 and 16:9 screen formats.
So, regardless of what application you use to create your titles, as long as you keep all essential text 10%, or more, away from any edge, you are fine.
UPDATE – Oct. 21, 2010
Eric Mittan, from WSIL-TV, sent this in:
Just wanted to pass along some thoughts to David Counts in regards to his 16×9 movie and his question about title safe (and anyone else that works with widescreen material).
I know David mentioned his movie is going to DVD, but he probably wants to save himself some work in case there’s even a prospect of this item going to broadcast or some other distribution medium. Working in broadcasting, our department has worked to follow 4×3 title safe guidelines, even in our 16×9 work. Our market is mostly rural, and most of our viewers purchased Digital Television converter boxes with the government subsidized program, rather than purchase a new High Definition television. What hasn’t been widely discussed in the post-production community is that a number of these boxes shipped set to a default setting that crops 16×9 signals to 4×3 to fit “fullscreen” on the television, rather than letterboxing the content. Since the majority of viewers will use those boxes in their default mode, any titles in a 16×9 piece of media that do not also fit inside of the 4×3 title safe INSIDE the 16×9, will probably be cut off by most viewers’ televisions.
We’ve come to notice that as a network affiliate, the network broadcasts also fit within the same guidelines. The network icon that appears on 16×9 primetime shows sits right in the lower right corner of 4:3 title safe. All lower-third promos for upcoming shows – that all the networks have been using to interrupt what you’re currently watching – all contain their text within the 4×3 title safe, even if the graphic portion of the promo spills out a little.
Larry replies: Thanks, Eric. I appreciate your comments.
4 Responses to Protecting 16:9 Titles in 4:3 Title Safe
So, regardless of what application you use to create your titles, as long as you keep all essential text 10%, or more, away from any edge, you are fine.
10% is actually “Action Safe” and “title Safe is a further 10% in from there, so you are really dealing with an 80% interior area.
Things change again if you are protecting for Action and Title Safe within a 4×3 center cut.
Beware of free advice.
jPo
What about Final Cut Pro X? I know I can enable title-safe overlays, but how can I show 4:3 TS/AS zones within a 16:9 project? FInal Cut Pro 7 used to have these little ‘notches’ along its TS/AS overlay that showed a 4:3 cropping within 16:9 content. How can this be enabled in Final Cut Pro X?
And if it can’t be, any ideas for an effect that would do that without the need to render?
I’m wondering the same, myself. I really can’t afford to lose the 4:3 title safe markers that FCP7 has to make the move to FCPX. Maybe I can design a temporary overlay that shows the 4:3 title safe area that I can then disable when the edit is finished. Broadcast stations still require our graphics to be in 4:3 title safe (why they can’t just letterbox their SD broadcast, I can’t understand… I know of at least one cable company that does just that.)
Just found this… http://www.fcp.co/forum/9-free-fcpx-plugins-and-templates/612-free-fcpx-title-safe-effect