2017

YUV Decoding box Select the YUV colour space used by the clip to import. Because Smoke works in the
RGB colour space, it needs to translate YUV information into RGB. This setting ensures that the right decoder
is used for this. The Auto setting selects the colour decoder based on the resolution of the clip: Rec. 601 for
clips with a resolution lower than 720 lines, Rec. 709 for everything else. Specifying the wrong colour space
results in colours that are off.
Per Recommendation BT. 2020, UHD media should use the Rec. 2020 colour space. But this is rarely the case
at the moment: UHD clips use Rec. 709. The Rec. 2020 option is there is case you come upon a correctly
encoded UHD clip.
Include YUV Headroom button Enable to keep the YUV headroom information during clip import. Disabling
this option for clips that use the headroom (usually clips from cameras) results in clips with clamped black
and whites. Enabling this option for clips that do not use the headroom (usually clips from Final Cut Pro)
results in an imported clip with lowered contrast.
Browsing Settings
Essence Mode button Enable to browse the directory structure of XDCAM EX clips. This allows you to
import specific video and audio media contained within an XDCAM EX clip.
About Pixel Aspect Ratio
Some video and film formats use rectangular instead of square pixels. This explains why NTSC and PAL
video formats have a different frame dimension in terms of pixels, but are ultimately broadcast to the same
4:3 aspect ratio screen.
■ NTSC pixels are narrower than they are high, which allows for the 720x486 (1.481) aspect ratio frame
to fit into a 4:3 (1.333) aspect ratio broadcast screen.
■ PAL pixels are wider than they are high, which allows for 720x576 (1.25) aspect ratio frame to fit into a
4:3 (1.333) aspect ratio broadcast screen.
When you capture video or import film frames that use rectangular pixels into Smoke, the pixels become
square because computer graphics work only with square pixels. This is why the NTSC and PAL frames appear
as though they are different size—displayed with square pixels, they are.
You can set the Player to display clips originating from rectangular pixel formats using View Settings ➤
Use Ratio to simulate the use of rectangular pixels. This provides a display that corresponds with the delivery
format.
Using the aspect ratio display affects system performance, so if you are using the aspect ratio filter in the
Player and notice a performance slowdown, you can disable the option and return to square-pixel display.
NOTE Many HD video formats such as 1920x1080 and 1280x720 use square pixels, so enabling this option has
no effect. One HD video format that does use “slightly” rectangular pixels is 1920x1035.
The following formats have an aspect ratio setting that allow you manage a clip's ratio, available in Format
Specific Options ➤ Image.
About Video Field Management
About Interlaced Video
Interlaced video formats capture each frame of a moving picture as two separate images known as fields.
One field consists of the first active and subsequent odd horizontal lines in the frame, while the other field
consists of the second and subsequent even lines. During the recording process, the two fields are captured
180 | Chapter 6 Importing and Exporting Media