Faster Letterbox Option Than Action?

[ryan]

Since the letterbox overlay tool provides no option to output itself to a file-based timeline export, the only solution I've found is using an Action TimelineFX node to create a letterbox via top and bottom crop. This takes forever to render, is there a simpler and more intuitive option?

[Anonymous]

How about just adding a GMASK square shaped to fit on a clip of BLACK on your top layer?  SHould render faster than Action.

Turn on COMP.

[ryan]

Will try that, thanks.


Seems the action letterbox route often crashes smoke and doesn't retain cache so looking forward to this option.

[Anonymous]

This might be worth testing:

http://logik-matchbook.org/shader/crok_frameguides

[ManChicken · Accepted solution]

Add a Resize effect to a Gap on a new track above everything, switch the Source crop mode to Free and dial in the height you want... or you can even type in the aspect ratio you're going for and it'll figure it out for you.

[ryan]

Thanks for the alternative solutions, trying them out now.

Better yet, wouldn't it be cool if there was a little button on the overlays menu that simply burned them into your renders on output if selected.  Something about the one click solution in menus folks are already using for this purpose just seems a little more intuitive and sensible to me.

Wasn't there a feature like this in Smoke OSX 2012?