Final Cut Pro - Exporting Wide-screen Video to Streaming Format 2

Part 2: Quicktime Conversion

Still from within Final Cut Pro, select your Sequence to be output by single-left-clicking on the icon next to the name (default name is Sequence 1). This is essential to the process! For some reason the letterbox functionality does not export if the clips in the Timeline are selected. You must select the Sequence.

Now, go to File in the top menu bar, select Export from the drop-down menu, then select "Using Quicktime Conversion" from the secondary drop-down menu. Do not choose Quicktime Movie or Compressor. Those have not worked as yet (comment below if you have found otherwise).

In the dialog box that pops-up, give the project a name (in the Save As section) and choose where it will be saved. At the bottom of the dialog box, the default Format should show as QuickTime Movie. Choose that option if it is not already that format. Do not choose MPEG4. That format will not work with this and we are going to use the DivX compression within a QuickTime .mov file-type. That is acceptable for upload on major sites.

Next to Format is a button that says "Options". Click that. Another dialog box opens. Under Video, click Settings. For Compression Type, choose "H.264". Click OK. Still under Video, click on Size. Depending on your file server from which this movie will be streaming, make the appropriate choice in "Dimensions". "320x240 QVGA" is suggested to accommodate those with low-bandwidth. Check the box that says "Preserve aspect ratio using:" and select "Letterbox" from the choices. Click OK.

Now click Settings under Sound. For Format, choose "AAC", a compression format. Set the Rate to "44.100". Render Settings Quality set to "Normal" is fine. The last thing to set at the bottom is "AAC Encoder Settings". 128 bit rate is a good midrange compromise between size and sound quality. Click OK. Then Click OK again on the Movie Settings box that appeared when you clicked on Options.

Make sure that the filename and destination are what you want and click Save.

Why not just make a 4:3 video and put black boxes around it? Wouldn't that be easier? Maybe not. You may have pre-edited footage in 16:9 ratio and you just want to put it out to a video hosting website. Also, theoretically the filesize would be larger because you have extra data in the video stream. The letterbox feature (black at bottom and top) is supposed to be "non-data". That is what our research has stated thus far.

Any (relevant and tasteful) comments and ideas are welcome. Simply use the Comments feature below this post. We hope this helps you.

This is how your final footage should appear