Resolution, frame rate, and project settings

Resolution describes frame dimensions. Frame rate describes the number of frames shown each second. Choose the intended delivery format before assembling a long edit; changing it late can cause avoidable work.

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Work through it

1. Open Project Settings using the gear icon. For a simple practice project, select a 1920 × 1080 timeline and match its frame rate to your main footage or intended delivery. Record the choice.
2. Inspect source frame rate in the Media Pool. A 50 fps clip on a 25 fps timeline can play at normal speed or be deliberately slowed; those are different creative decisions.
3. When importing the first clip, read any prompt asking to match project settings. Accept only if the clip represents your intended timeline, not merely because the prompt appears.
4. Create a short timeline. Inspect Timeline Settings and notice the option to use or override project settings. Play motion in the viewer before committing a whole project to these choices.

Understand the decision

For a first exercise, consistency matters more than chasing a cinematic number. A 24 fps timeline cannot recover motion blur that was not captured in the camera. Keep the client’s specification and your source material in view.

Your turn

Compare a normal-speed 50/60 fps clip with a deliberate half-speed version on an appropriate 25/30 fps timeline. Write down the timeline and source rates.

Your notes

Write down what worked, what surprised you, and what to try next. Saved on this device.

Original practical lesson · Open the in-house resource shelf for practice files and definitions. Completion records your self-assessment, not certification.