Any reason I can't mix 1920 and 720

[BuddyB]

Unfortunately I don't have a camera that will do HD. I just want to know if it is feasible to mix the two formats together. I will do a lot of hand stuff, art etc. in HD and then the film footage in 720. I know I will get black on both sides, unless I change the background. I'm just curious about any other side effects to approaching it that way. Thanks.

[Steve Grisetti]

In Vegas and Movie Studio, you should have no problem mixing 1920x1080 and 1280x720, as long as you've got your preferences set to Adjust Source Media to Better Match Project, as I show you on page 257 of the Movie Studio 13 book. (You should also set up your project to Match Media.)

The only disadvantage to using 1280x720 in a full HD project is that it won't quite have the full 1920x1080 resolution, of course. So if your output video is high-def, it may not look as crisp as if you'd shot in full HD.

However, if you share your video on the web or as a DVD, it should look just fine.

[BuddyB]

Thanks Steve, I needed that input.

[Bob]

The only disadvantage to using 1280x720 in a full HD project is that it won't quite have the full 1920x1080 resolution, of course. So if your output video is high-def, it may not look as crisp as if you'd shot in full HD.

Alternatively, instead of a 1920x1080 project, you could use a 1280x720 project. They both have the same (16:9) frame aspect ratio and you won't get black bars as the 1920x1080 will scale to fit. And, it will still display well on an hdtv similar to the HD delivered on cable tv which is also 1280x720. Not quite as high a resolution as 1920x1080, but still decent.

[BuddyB]

Thanks Bob that helps. I didn't understand what 1280X720 was all about.