Apple Master Your QuickTime Movie: Exporting, Effects, and Frame Size Adjustments

Movies with higher frame rates show motion better but have larger file sizes. If you choose a frame rate that’s lower than the movie’s current frame rate, frames will be deleted. If you choose a number that’s higher than the movie’s current frame rate, existing frames will be duplicated (not recommended, since it increases file size without improving quality). When choosing a frame rate, use a simple fraction of your current frame rate, such as 1/2, 1/3, and so on. For example, if your current frame rate is 30 (29.97), use 15 or 10.

ÂOther options: Some compressors or codecs offer options specific to the codec. After you select a compressor (codec), any special options appear.

Adding Special Effects and Filters to a QuickTime Movie

With QuickTime Pro, you can add special effects such as blur, emboss, and film noise to a movie before you export it. You add special effects by using filters.

To set a filter for a movie:

1In QuickTime Player, choose File > Export.

2Choose “Movie to QuickTime Movie” from the Export pop-up menu.

3Click Options, click Filter, and select the filter and settings you want to use. The selected filter is applied to the entire movie.

Changing Image (Frame) Size

With QuickTime Pro, you can change the size of a movie’s video frame. For example, if your movie will be viewed on a small screen (such as a mobile device), you can change the movie’s dimensions to match the target device. You can experiment with making the frame size smaller for a given data rate to get better encoding results.

To change the size of a movie’s video frame:

1Choose File > Export.

2Choose a file format from the Export pop-up menu.

3Click Options.

4In the Video area of the Movie Settings dialog, click Size and then choose an option:

ÂUse current size: This option (the default) keeps the exported movie’s image size the same as your original source movie.

ÂUse custom size: When you choose this option, you can specify (in pixels) a height and width for the exported movie’s image size. For best results, choose dimensions smaller than your source movie, and keep the height-to-width ratio the same as the source (so that objects don’t appear distorted).

Chapter 4 Exporting Files with QuickTime Pro

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