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Ask The Expert: My Collages (from Photo Studio 2) Come Out The Wrong Aspect Ratio... Help!

Question:  I followed your short video instruction on Photo Studio 2 on creating a collage and corresponding scene (I found this a most helpful instruction) but I encountered a problem when I tried.  Unfortunately in my editor the format appears stuck in the 4:3 aspect ratio so that when a video scene was created the result was a 4:3 scene with the corresponding large black bars each side  -  quite unacceptable! 

I could not find any other means of obtaining a 16:9 collage.  Have I missed something or done something stupid,  perhaps?
  My project settings are  SD or HD 16:9 format. Your help would be much appreciated.  Again I have the PAL set-up and  am using Photo Studio 2 V 2.2a.

ANSWER:  First I had our colleague (a fellow website member from the Netherlands) review this article on my website to see if his issue was addressed: Creating a collage in Photo Studio 2 that matches your desired aspect ratio ( 16:9 or 4:3)  but that provided no relief to his problem.  As I was working with Photo Studio 2 myself - creating several photo collages for a project - I too noticed the same issue he had encountered.  I thought for a few minutes and came up with a hunch, that proved successful!

I also observed the finished product appeared in 4:3 with black borders on each end... did not look good. I also checked to ensure I launched PS2 from the 16:9 project and all other settings were appropriate.  Here is what I did --- after creating my collage, I clicked on 'Create Photo' in the Collage menu .   As you may know, this makes a JPEG of your collage and puts it in the PS2 photo bin (in a folder called 'Collage').

I then went back into the Photo Studio Edit menu and found the folder called Collage
If it's not open - open that folder and find the photo. the image you just made from your collage.

Then click on the 'Crop' button in the bottom left corner of the Edit menu make sure you have 16 :9 selected - adjust your borders so it captures the entire photo and crops off the outside edges.  Then left click OK... you will now have a Collage that is correctly proportioned for 16 x 9.  Click create seen and it would drop that new collage that is cropped to 16:9 into your scene bin!








Tips & Tutorials by the Casablanca Expert, Chet Davis
www.CasablancaExpert.com