Can anyone tell me how to crop to 4:3 in final cut pro x? Everytime I set up a project in 1440x1080p then add 16:9 footage, it just keeps it as 16:9. As well when I add any footage shot in 4:3 it just has the black bars on the sides when I export. I want my video to literally be 4:3, not just letterboxed in 16:9. Youtube tutorials are not answering this for me, unfortunately.
Here's what works for me:
After choosing New Project, in the Video > Format field, choose "Custom" instead of 1080/720/etc. Then in the Resolution field you can type in the 4:3 resolution you want (1440 x 1080), and Frame Rate doesn't matter.
That will create a true 4:3 project, then bring your 16:9 clips in, and scale them up to fill the frame. For me it's right at 134%.
I don't know why doing it this way works and choosing the 1440x1080 preset DOESN'T work. I am assuming using the preset makes FCP prioritize the "1080p HD" setting over the actual resolution, but who knows.
Here's a short one I did recently using 1080/60p source footage into a Custom/1440x1080/29.97p project, I think it came out pretty good. Please forgive the dirty/scratched Mk I, I need to get a new front element for it.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmLfZKvHCwS