About high-resolution graphics

When you need to pan and zoom in or out of an image (such as a scanned map or photograph), use a high-resolution image. There won’t be any image degradation because you typically won’t need to zoom more than 100 percent. Scaling video and still images up to more than 100 percent creates artifacts: individual pixels become noticeable, causing a stair-stepping effect on high-contrast diagonal lines.

To scale an imported graphic to match the frame size of a sequence, use the following frame sizes:

Frame size (pixels)	Type of video
1920 x 1080	High definition, 16:9, square pixel
1280 x 720	High definition, 16:9, square pixel
720 x 486	Standard definition, 4:3, nonsquare pixel for NTSC
720 x 480	Standard definition DV, 4:3, nonsquare pixel for NTSC
720 x 576	Standard definition, 4:3, nonsquare pixel for PAL
640 x 480	Multimedia, 4:3, square pixel
480 x 360	Multimedia, 4:3, square pixel
320 x 240	Multimedia, 4:3, square pixel
240 x 180	Multimedia, 4:3, square pixel
160 x 120	Multimedia, 4:3, square pixel

Graphics guidelines for HD projects

Creating graphics and still images for high-definition (HD) video projects follows the same process as for standard-definition video. Full-raster high-definition video formats use square pixels. You don’t have to worry about adjusting high-definition image dimensions before importing your graphics into Motion. To determine the image dimensions for your sequence, follow the guidelines below.

Sequence preset	Still image dimensions
1080i	1920 horizontal x 1080 vertical
720p	1280 horizontal x 720 vertical

Graphics guidelines for 2K and 4K projects

Graphics and animations intended for digital cinema or film distribution are often created at 2K or 4K resolution, depending on how a project is mastered. Both 2K and 4K resolutions are square-pixel, progressive-frame formats, typically with a frame rate of 24 fps. To determine the image dimensions for your sequence, follow the guidelines below.

Sequence preset	Still image dimensions
4K	4096 horizontal x 2160 vertical
2K	2048 horizontal x 1080 vertical