For 1080p media, you can scale this up to 720 x 1280, just know that the image will get a bit soft. This is true of all NLEs, not just FCP X. For example, the table below illustrates maximum project sizes when reframing existing media for a new aspect ratio to maximize image quality.įrame Size Maximums When Re-Framing Aspect Ratios SourceĪs you can see from this table, lots of pixels get lost when changing the aspect ratio from horizontal to vertical. To preserve image quality when converting aspect ratios, always pick a frame size for a project that fits within the existing media frame size or requires the least amount of scaling.

In this screen shot, you see another new feature in Final Cut: internal dialogs have a new background color and new Video options. For this example, I’ll create a vertical video project for the iPhone. Note, also, that FCP X now supports 8K media! )Ĭreate a new project with the aspect ratio you need. (I pasted the contents of the Video menu to the side so you can see the changes. Smart Conform is needed when you need to create a vertical project after all media was shot. NOTE: If you know you are creating a vertical media project before production starts, then turn your camera 90° and shoot a vertical image. There are other differences which will appear during this tutorial. Smart Conform is Apple’s answer to Auto Reframe, introduced in Adobe Premiere Pro in September, 2019. A key difference between the two is that Smart Conform applies to clips, while Auto Reframe works on sequences.

A typical example is taking media shot 16:9, then converting it for a trailer on Instagram at 1:1 or an iPhone at 9:16.

This takes an existing clip or clips and “crops” them to fit into a different aspect ratio. One of the new features in the 10.4.9 update to Final Cut is Smart Conform.

Change aspect ratio in final cut pro