How to compose 2:1 video in Final Cut Pro X [9to5Mac]

Modern smartphones feature wider aspect ratios than traditional 16:9 widescreen. 2:1 video looks great on the iPhone X. Here's how and why you can make it work with Final Cut Pro X.
Example of 2:1 video: • Back to the Mac 006: F...
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[@MATTHEWJOHNBELL]

As someone who watches both on a TV and iPhone X, the best of both worlds is when a creator shoots in 16x9, but frames their shots in such a way that when you zoom on the iPhone X, it doesn't cut off the top of their heads. I think this is the best solution.

[@TEQREATION]

Dude - Searched this word for word last week. This the only video on YT demonstrating this ☝️ - Thank you!

[@duythanhish]

Very interesting. I'm late but it's better than nothing. Thanks for making the video!

[@DiamondStreak]

ty for this video! you made it a whole lot simpler and I am gonna do this as a smaller channel to make my videos more professional.

[@moudyelhajj77]

Great tutorial. And I appreciate the 2:1. its been a common issue for when watching youtube videos on my iPhone X (which is where i usually watch youtube content). Keep up the great work!

[@nkarfootTv]

The Aspect Ratio is also know as Univisium and Has been something that Oscar winning Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro has been promoting for some time. Netflix, I believe, are only accepting content in the 2:1 format. Just a little trivia for you. ;-)

[@circleofattention6021]

You just got a new subscriber. Well done!

[@mkletsgo]

I was wondering how and why i was able to do that on the Iphone X. Very helpful thanks! 👍

[@SiimKuusik]

I'm considering to make my next video in 2:1. Thanks Jeff!

[@FE59FE59]

You should! By the way, nice channel, keep up!

[@findingjoe]

Can I ask why you divided 2160/1920 x 100 for scale when the timeline was 3840x1920?

[@uavllc1675]

That's an awesome video, as usual, Jeff! Thanks for sharing your FCPX knowledge!

[@iancano]

Many thanks Jeff! I was at my wits end trying to convert 4:3 video shot with my GH5 using its entire sensor at 4992x3744 resolution to 16:9 video for my channel. Your advice worked and again many thanks!

[@Abdulaziz2003]

Instead of adjusting the scale every time or dragging in the filter, you could scroll all the way down in the Inspector and change the Spacial Conform to "Fill" instead of fit. Better yet, you could select all the clips you want in the browser and change the Spacial Conform for all your clips at once.

[@Fufski]

FCPX won't export full resolution this way, only 1920 for Computer at max

[@JillpooThree]

This video is 1080 60fps. Is that because you used video of FCPX? Just curious.

[@eksmad]

Hi again! You as a professional can surely answer this with ease: Why is 2:1 video better than 19.5:9? If I looked it up correctly 19.5:9 is the exact aspect ratio of the iPhone X and THAT is the true perfect aspect ratio (I just tested some youtube videos with 19.5:9 on my iPhone X). I think you should cover 19.5:9, also! But: GREAT video. As always.

[@EddyGraphic]

2:1 is 18:9 like the Pixel 2 XL? 18.5:9 like the Galaxy S9,S9+,S8,S8+,Note 8? or 19.5:9 like the iPhone X?

[@rawcodecmedia302]

Is there a way to save the 2:1 in project settings or do you need to manually set the pixel numbers every time

[@canoopsy]

Brilliant. Thanks for the tip!

[@Bo_Yang]

Thanks for the tutorial, I'm going to think about that for my future videos.

[@JZuniga81]

2:1 is our new format

[@FE59FE59]

Thanks bro, great video! Why isn't this video 2:1?

[@ogindianspice]

I think you should do 2:1. I have an 8 plus but the wider aspect ratio makes videos look much more cinematic on 16:9 screens

[@strangentertainment]

so does good lighting, sound, and quality camera work in general, do we really need videos from 9-5Mac to be more 'cinematic'?

[@ogindianspice]

Strang Entertainment its not that serious it just makes the video look a little nicer chill

[@strangentertainment]

it's not going to make them look nicer on the majority of viewings though, it's going to make the videos smaller, widescreen isn't a mobile friendly format. its a cinema sized screen format. there's a reason 2.35:1 screens never took off in the home.

[@ogindianspice]

Strang Entertainment literally all i meant was that it replicates the look of movies being viewed on a phone with the black bars at the top and bottom. that’s why i called it cinematic. please don’t make this more serious than it needs to be it was never that serious. plus this is completely subjective anyway- i like seeing the black bars at the top and bottom because in MY OPINION it looks more cinematic that way

[@strangentertainment]

sure, but why would you want a tech vlog to look cinematic?

[@geraldoyonoyon7819]

2:1 please. Everybody is a tech geek here one way or another so they probably have a 2:1 aspect phone. Thanks. Keep up the great videos.

[@cychan.tkd.krt_]

Please do 19.5:9 ratio 😬

[@JohnHolzer]

So helpful! Thanks, Jeff!

[@Gonzosport9]

Thanks for showing how to make it. And I say go to 2:1

[@grandsome]

Jeff is just so cool.

[@ExplorationBrothers]

When you post video to youtube with 3840x1920 resolution - apparently it's not considered as 4K anymore and youtube will classify it as HD video, so I guess the solution is 2 black bars on the top and bottom?

[@nougatbitz]

You should optimise for the most currently common devices, I would say this might be an iPhone 6s, 7, 7s, 8 on the Apple side and not the X series ...

[@cactustweeter2890]

I watch your videos on a 5K iMac in full screen. For me I think the more resolution the better.

[@Mark33]

2:1 would be nice!

[@xsmi]

Good job. Thanks for the tip.

[@europlane77]

It looks AWSOME on iPhone X

[@shirddidarbarfilms5884]

Thanks a ton!

[@GubbyMan92]

I watch most of your videos on my iPhone X zoomed in. I don’t understand why you would want to crop your videos to 2:1 if the iPhone can zoom them to 19.5:9. Just make sure that elements in the video are within frame when the video is zoomed in and it should work well for both phones and TVs. Also, thanks for not saying “18:9 ratio”...

[@strangentertainment]

this is the correct answer

[@SebastianCristanchoYT]

NIICE!!! Thanks so much!!!

[@9to5Mac]

Note: You can also use Spatial Conform instead of manually scaling. Learn more in the full post linked in description.

[@FutureGameDev]

Why wouldn't you just say this FIRST in the video?

[@isaac_russell]

For some reason whenever I try to do 1920x960 in final cut instead of 1080 my footage always looks very low resolution even though it looks fine in a 1080 timeline. Anybody experience this or know why that would happen?

[@MeetKevin]

same prob

[@strangentertainment]

so you're going to master content for the iPhone X screen when the vast majority of screens in the world are 16:9 and every video camera shoots 16:9 by default. 2:1 isn't a standard format in any way so the framing is going to suck, even if you recompose in post. why throw away pixels if you don't have to. also, newsflash, more than half your audience probably don't even watch the video in fullscreen. so all your doing is making the image smaller for everyone who isn't watching in fullscreen. There's a stronger argument for mastering videos in 4:3 for the mobile first world. looks better on instagram, looks better on an iPad, looks better on iPhone when not in fullscreen. but really, every TV and Computer screen is 16:9, if that changes then perhaps change your aspect ratio, but mastering specifically for the fullscreen iPhone X aspect ratio seems like a huge waste of time. more than anything its just going to make the video look crapper on more devices The better option would be to shoot 16:9, while framing for 2:3, then iPhone x users can safely crop to fit without losing any titles or info, (title safe)

[@jayaharidasa]

don't need to "do the math", go to inspecter/type/fill. happy editing

[@shamil454]

youtube should do something about this. For example, you should upload a video that would adapt to screens with various different aspect rations without having black bars

[@MarceloTezza]

I think as youtube compresses too much, you could start already with 4320 x 2160 as the main resolution, not needing to apply any scale.

[@9to5Mac]

You would still need to scale. Just on opposite axis if starting with 4K video. Now if you’re shooting 5, 6 or 8K obviously that’s not an issue and you’ll have much more composition freedom while retaining “full” 4K resolution.

[@FE59FE59]

This guy wasn't thinking when commenting :p But I like the idea!

[@xdarknightg]

Not a good idea. Composed my latest video in 2:1 for a client for social media. Facebook treated the final 2:1 video as a 360 degree video. Also Vimeo and instagram as well. Have no idea why but it gave me a nightmare to resolve the issue. But after all I converted back to 1080 and now it has letterbox but don’t care it works now.

[@suyundayengecvar6608]

this about for thanks

[@wasimakram7615]

good job!!!!

[@chowsza7304]

Thanks man

[@ichernov]

Niice!

[@sauravjyotiroy3939]

Good

[@ChuckReynolds]

init thoughts are ... too early for 100% change over but... I liked the video.

[@IvanCazorla21]

Go 2:1!

[@ReneGordon]

2:1 is the future.

[@vtine22]

Please continue the 2:1 ratio. It looks great on my iPhoneX

[@FE59FE59]

Yes please, I don't like the notch in videos :p

[@dheeladheel]

Yessss. Please. 2:1

[@Theraulespinosa]

My only disappointment on the X was the 16:9 video so please help us X users out and shoot on 2:1!

[@stefanhofmann2521]

4:04 Answer: Because no one uses 2:1 and everything except a select couple of smart phones uses a 2:1 ratio. Why are people switching to 2:1 just for smartphone. If you're watching professionally made video, a smartphone is probably the least best place to watch it. I find it silly how people support this basically because of the iPhone X

[@SoulSina11]

Maybe I’ll do a Breath of the Wild walkthrough in 2:1 haha if I ever go back to making videos that is xD

[@Trusteft]

16 x 9 100%

[@casperes0912]

I'm a bloody idiot. For the longest time I've been thinking "Why are you all saying 2:1?! It's 18:9....." First now have I realised that 9x2=18 so 2:1 is the same as 18:9.... Doh!

[@JorgeHerrera0720]

Stay at 16:9 player.

[@MonzLp]

2:1

[@EddyGraphic]

2:1 please they look great on my Note 8 and on 16:9 displays it looks very cinematic. 😂

[@germanopolito5294]

1:2 = 18:9

[@MrBlaq]

Too much work for a phone most people can't afford.

[@TheVisualvictor]

I think you should stay at 16:9 ratio. The iPhone X has 2:1?, ok. Now let's think about the 99% of the consumer monitors with the 16:9 standard and all the years needed to take that ratio. There's no need to kill standards for the brands whims. Use your common sense. Thanks.

[@strangentertainment]

especially considering that in 2 years time apple might have moved on to an entirely new aspect ratio. So what if 16:9 has black bars on the edges of the video when in fullscreen. it gives you somewhere to put your fingers when your holding the screen. also its not like you're going to master the video to include space for the notch or rounded corners. Stick with 16:9. what would be great is you could upload different aspect ratio versions of the same youtube video and then the youtube app could display the correct version according to the device being used.

[@MrGARDYY]

2:1 my brother