1.067 to Square Pixels?

[Briantho]

I've been doing lots of 'Export Frames' from Premiere Elements but now I see that the aspect ratio I've used isn't quite right. I started by using Photoshop Elements 6.0 but I noticed that for my widescreen footage a 'Pixel Aspect Ratio' of 'D1/DV PAL Widescreen 16:9 (1.422)' was obviously wrong even though it sounded so right.

So I tried the 'D1/DV PAL (1.067)' thinking that it had to be right but now, having examined the results really carefully, I see that even that is not quite right. In total confusion I tried 'Square Pixels (1.0)` and see that it is the one option that looks right.

I don't want to repeat all the hours it took to recapture the frames involved - how can I convert what I have to get to convert all that stuff from 1.067 to 1.0 pixels?

Many thanks in advance,

Brian.

[Steve Grisetti]

This would be pretty easy with Photoshop CS, Brian. Unfortunately, Photo Elements doesn't allow you to convert non-square pixels.

The only solution I can think of is to import all the stills into a Premiere Elements project, right-click on each in the Media/Project panel and select Interpret Footage.

But then you'd be exporting the frames from Premiere Elements again anyway, so I'm not sure it saves you any real time. Sorry.

One other possible solution -- and it's up to you whether it really saves time. Open new Photoshop Elements file at the size of a square-pixel PAL video frame. (I think it's 768x576.) Then open the photo files you want to convert. From the Layers panel of each, drag the Background layer right onto your square pixel blank canvas, size this new layer so that it fits by dragging the sides, select Flatten from the Layers drop-down menu and then do a Save As to save your new picture. This new picture will have square pixels -- and, as long as you do Save As, you can keep re-using this same canvas over and over again.

Hope that helps.

[Briantho]

Many thanks for that Steve. I've just got back home and I'll try your suggestion now.

[Briantho]

Oh dear, it's totally over my head. Thanks anyway, I'll just stay up a bit longer and go back through the files.

[Chuck Engels]

One other possible solution -- and it's up to you whether it really saves time. Open new Photoshop Elements file at the size of a square-pixel PAL video frame. (I think it's 768x576.) Then open the photo files you want to convert. From the Layers panel of each, drag the Background layer right onto your square pixel blank canvas, size this new layer so that it fits by dragging the sides, select Flatten from the Layers drop-down menu and then do a Save As to save your new picture. This new picture will have square pixels -- and, as long as you do Save As, you can keep re-using this same canvas over and over again.

Brian, Give this a shot, it really isn't as hard as it seems

[Briantho]

I really have had another good look at it but I'm too inexperienced in Photoshop to follow this. I'll get to grips with it when there's a bit more time available. I much appreciate your help and encouragement though.

[Chuck Engels]

Ok, I thought you might need some encouragement

[Briantho]

I like it - thanks!

Actually, to get things in perspective about half of these photos will simply appear in the Christmas letter and they will end up by being pretty small. Once I've done a nice fuzzy border to each and dragged them into the right place in the text I'll simply pull the left or right sides out a bit (crude but sufficient) and that'll be fine. The other half I'll recreate relatively easily.

Now off you go you wizards and help people with real problems. I'll go back to lurking and learning