Resize Quicktime Window

[shadowbox]

How come I can resize the quicktime movie window in Digital Performer but ProTools lacks this seemingly basic feature. In most Quicktime apps you just drag the corner and it will blow up the movie. Obviously the quality of the movie would suffer, but sometimes it's necessary so a client can see from across the room. A QuickTime work print encoded at 320x240 is still very watchable when blown up to full screen mode, especially from across the room. Today's higher resolution monitors really require this feature. A 320x240 movie is about 4" diagonal on any of Apple's Flat displays in native resolution. You shouldn't have to re-encode a small QT file to 640X480 or bigger just to see it blown up.

Even better would be a presentation mode that shows the quicktime movie in your desired sized against a black background. ESC would bring you back to the ProTools environment.

[TVPostSound]

I resize my QT file prior to importing it into PT.
Resize and save, import to PT click the QT window that happens to be on top of the PT edit window and it moves to the other monitor.

Oh BTW, you do have QT Pro right???

[shadowbox]

Oh BTW, you do have QT Pro right???

Yes, but the point is sometimes I want it small. sometimes I want it bigger to show clients. It should be pretty simple to drag the corner and resize the window on-the-fly. Also making the movie bigger creates a bigger file, making it more likely to bog down a session. There is no need to have a work print encoded larger than 320X240.

[TVPostSound]

This might be redundant, but I also found that running the QT within PT bogs the system bad.
Im now running the QT through firewire to a Canopus box, into a 20" Sony TV. Either Echofire in OS9 or Firewire option in OSX PT6.
The issue is that you need to convert your QT to a 720X480 QT DV. I feel it was worth my time to go this route, I no longer have to hear the producers comments when the video freezes as Im making a fader move on a track with more than 3 plugs!!!!!

[marty lester]

"The issue is that you need to convert your QT to a 720X480 QT DV"


is that so? why? i don't remember reading that anywhere. i convert to 320x240 DV and that definitely works...but would it work better at 720x480?

thanks.

[SoundWrangler]

...making the movie bigger creates a bigger file, making it more likely to bog down a session...

Actually, no. Resaving a QT file in QT Pro (a steal at $39, for anyone who deals with QT files as a target or destination format) after changing the playback window size doesn't re-compress, change QT file size, data rate, actual source pixel size, etc. (This is not the same thing as Exporting a QT file to a different size, frame rate, codec, etc. - which would affect file size, of course.)

Closing a PT session, jumping over to QT Pro in order to re-set the playback size for the client or your own final viewing, & then re-opening the PT session to playback the vid. at the desired size takes maybe 30 seconds or so. Try it!

[john1192]

DiaFXMx,

can you email me, i have a question for you about firewire output of DV and your movie offset time

[email protected]

thank you john

[TVPostSound]

The issue is that you need to convert your QT to a 720X480 QT DV

I meant for firewire output through Echofire OS9 and PT or through firewire out in OSX with PT.

[shadowbox]

Actually, no. Resaving a QT file in QT Pro (a steal at $39, for anyone who deals with QT files as a target or destination format) after changing the playback window size doesn't re-compress, change QT file size, data rate, actual source pixel size, etc. (This is not the same thing as Exporting a QT file to a different size, frame rate, codec, etc. - which would affect file size, of course.)

Closing a PT session, jumping over to QT Pro in order to re-set the playback size for the client or your own final viewing, & then re-opening the PT session to playback the vid. at the desired size takes maybe 30 seconds or so. Try it!

Thanks for this tip! This is a great work around. I had no idea this worked. I still think its crazy that you can't resize the window in ProTools. But this re-saving (not exporting) method hold me over until Digi adds this "feature."

Also...I never noticed DV through Canopus bogging things down. Because the Canopus does the compression/decompression it doesn't use DSP the way QT software does. When you play the movie back do you hide the movie track in the edit window? With the movie track showing in the edit window it slows things down considerably.

[cmaynes]

try this-

there is an OSX version as well at this site-

http://www.xs4all.nl/~fokkie/resize.htm


charles maynes