Safe Action in the Cut
January 5th, 2010

I recently worked on a graphic card for a Star Trek DVD commercial and I thought it would be boring fun to talk about the Action Safe Area! Many graphics are broadcast in HD but there must also be an alternate version for people watching in standard definition.

One solution is to design for the 4:3 Center Cut. This is where you use the title and action safe area is based on a 4:3 frame in your HD 16:9 comp. You'll notice that After Effects CS4 has 2 extra lines for the interior Center Cut to help you practice safe action (for your designs).

Some people have a tighter recommendation for the safe area so please check with your format specialist.

UPDATE: This also applies to widescreen DVD menus as well...

Andrew Kramer
POSTED:
15 years ago
116 Comments
12 years ago
Thanks, I was wondering what all the different guide lines meant. I'm surprised to find that titles should be contained within the innermost box as my titles often go way beyond this. I just made some opening titles for a film and decided to shrink the titles to fit inside the inner box, and now they seem really small when viewed in the viewport! Will have to get used to that!
Lucas
15 years ago
I got used to use 4x3 safe margin in all my videos
15 years ago
good work andrew !
NiX
15 years ago
Hi Andrew

I gotta ask.Did you work on this movie by some chance? cause i swear i saw a lot of optical flares being used in the shots...

Come oon you can tell us

NiX
15 years ago
ohh its very useful
thanks dude
Will
15 years ago
Hey Andrew, just a heads up. Was watching Star Trek on Blu-Ray with commentary. JJ actually mentioned you during the title sequence. I paraphrase, "The titles were done by this talented guy, Andrew Kramer. I found him on the web". Been a fan of your work and thought it was really cool JJ mentioned you in the commentary.
15 years ago
Damn! So the gig went to you eh? I thought I was up for it. I guess they didn't really appreciate my crayon lines going out of the picture. Well I guess I had better not buy those islands I have had my eye on.
15 years ago
1. After Effects action safe and title safe for center cut are actually off. You really should manually adjust these to 32.5% for action safe center cut and 40% for title safe center cut.
2. The reason for creating your HD spots to be center cut safe is that when viewing an HD channel, in SD ,everything is center cut including spots.
15 years ago
all egyption love you sam
Igor Farbitnik
15 years ago
Hi Guys, I used your 86. Fracture Design Tutorial to create a nifty transition for my 1 min experimental film - just wanted to drop in and say thanks for the tutes and to show you my little spin on it - cheers guys!

http://vimeo.com/4977097
15 years ago
I HAVE ONE QUESTION WHEN YOU SELECT POSITION KEYFRAME OR VELOCITY OR OTHER DOWN IN THE FRAMES THERE ITSELF SHOWS SOMETHING AND IT HAS 4 BUTTONS AND YOU MUST CONTAIN IT WITH ---------- AND MUST WRITE THE ODE WITH {;']-= AND OTHER AND WHRN I SELECT VEOCITY OR ITHERS UT DOESNT SHOWS WHY?
Pradeep
15 years ago
gr8 info
thanks
Pradeep
15 years ago
thanks Andrew, gr8 info....
Shawn
15 years ago
Okay, I hope this qualifies as thoughtful commenting.

I was just on IMDB and from their homepage you can watch trailers. I clicked on a trailer for KNIGHT AND DAY - had no idea what it was. It's a Tom Cruise flick. Anyway, I'm watching it and at 40 seconds in there is a discussion about the pilot's on the plane being shot. With a bit of imagination you can change Tom's voice into Andrew Kramer's because what Tom Cruise is saying there is so very very very much like AK's humor that I had to come here and post about it.

I hope Andrew agree's, and that he realizes that I did put a lot of thought into this comment (even though it's off topic). So please don't boot me Andrew, and know that we enjoy your sense of humor even when it's coming from other sources.
15 years ago
Nice Work Andrew
jivi
15 years ago
hey andrew .its iran here your great man .I felt like just posting one more comment repeating the same thing would just get lost in the crowd.but you realy good .not in work only but in world also .tnx god for creat ppl like u :X
15 years ago
Andrew, did you do the credits for Star Trek as well? I remember watching Star Trek a couple of months ago, the credits looked a lot like your Optical Flares pack.

Anyway, good stuff!
Murtada
15 years ago
Usefl info. Thanks
15 years ago
This looks great Andrew. a million ideas come to mind now. Thanks for the inspiration!
Haris effendi
15 years ago
amazing... thank's for the tip. i am from indonesia
Allen
15 years ago
I like your tutorials very much,when i finish this job,i canâ??????t add some voice,could you tell me how to find some voice just like â?????the particle explosion tutorialâ????
And,If you could add AEP files,that would be fine.
Sorry for my english i am from China,Thank you
dèphe
15 years ago
Just wanted to point out: My Sony Trinitron television does not automatically letterbox 16:9 content. So all of you PBS designers ...
DreamFlow
15 years ago
Thanks for the tip.

Im working in a movie video project and I am trying to get the camera to go through a tunnel. I can't really understand how to control the camera to make it flow around turns. If you could email me and give me some tips I would be great.

Thanks!
ghost
15 years ago
Hi Andrew ..will you show more variety with lens flares ?

I would like to see different types of flares, rather then just the anamorphic lens type of flares (Star trek)etc.. It's well reproduced and I love it.

I just want to get a sense of what other types of real world flares this plug-in is capable of thanks.
Kaouthia
15 years ago
Aren't widescreen signals (HD or otherwise) all letterboxed on 4:3 displays anyway?
15 years ago
Thanks for the tip and great lens flares !!!!!!!!
15 years ago
If I were Andrew Kramer, I'd be completely touched by Michael Davis's post.

A very well-written, passionate, truly and inspirational post. I'll second everything that he said.

It's great to know by a fact that there are honest and good people willing to share information and knowledge throughout the world. I was teaching some kids that have not a lot of money, they live in poor places and favelas in Brazil and even they not know a word in english, I introduced Andrew Kramer's site anyway. Just by looking at the tutorials, they're able to learn and get pretty much everything.

So, Andrew, you're literally saving some people's lives down here. Giving them chances they would probably never have and I admire you and thank you for that.

My best and most sincere wishes from Brazil. May I speak and thank you as not only me, but the voices of other 100 young men and women. God bless you!
shawn
15 years ago
Dear Andrew,
I just wanted to thank you for helping us newbies with stuff we might otherwise miss. I did know about Action Safe and Title Safe (like many others I've been bitten). But over the years there have been so many things you've shared that I didn't know about, or would have no way of knowing about.

I really appreciate you sharing those tips and insights with us, and without looking down your nose at us as you do so. You've taught so many of us so much, and I never want to miss a chance to thank you for it.

Because of this you've created quite the fan-base and Mr. Abrams and others who hire your talent should be aware. I for one would have went to see STAR TREK even if I were not a fan of ST (or a sci-fi geek) had I known you worked on it. I did see the movie (because I am a fan), and thought it was good.

I do not purchase many movies, but I am planning on buying a copy of STAR TREK, not because I was ga-ga about it, but because you worked on it, and I really want to watch the commentary for myself and hear what J. J. Abrams has to say about you.

I initially started watching Fringe for the same reason.

It's just kind of neat to have a point of contact with a production like Fringe or Star Trek, and for many of us here, that point of contact is you.

So that's my round-about-and-rambling way of saying Thanks and congratulations on your success(es). They are well-deserved!

Shawn
Paul
15 years ago
Old Skool!!

What next broadcast safe colours?

Better for the younger readers to have a knowledge of this now than learn it the hard way.

Lots of info on how to do it to top of the line standards here...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/dq/contents/television.shtml
Peter Johansen
15 years ago
Hey Andrew! It looks great ;D Especially the flares. Greetings from Norway!
15 years ago
thank you. when I work on project and show on the 4:3 some time some thing is lost


Oh and
this moive have a Optical Flares plug-in. I like its
15 years ago
Last year i??´ve been working in a couple of animated series at Chile, doing from scripting to direction and production design in 3 different series.

So...you can figure that i was TOTALLY BUSY to notice that, 90% of the material we prepared, was out of frame...why? because there were no 4:3 or 16:9 tv??´s to check the final exports.

And...of course, the guy that made the editing...didn??´t notice that thoose lines at the Final Cut??´s screen were useful for checking out that.

so...keeping in mind the Safe Frame areas...It??´s good to mention.
15 years ago
I work for a broadcast station here in Boston, MA. The issue of "center cutting" vs, 16x9 full-frame really comes down to how the station will be broadcasting out.

There are a few things to remember along the way... Depending on how a show might be shot, most now are around 16x9, some stations will either down convert and letter box for SD which is great. In this case, nothing gets cut-off and those watching on SD sets get "letterboxed" viewing. Or everything has to be "center-cut" which for design purposes isn't a great option, as there will be plenty of un-used space in your comps.

Ultimately it's how the graphics are broadcast which dictates how to compose your elements. Currently a show I work on was shot in HD, however some stations are going to center cut regardless and for that situation is more of a tough luck scenario. It's really about the content and not so much accommodating every viewers situation.

Those are my two cents.
cheers,

Mark
Armen
15 years ago
Hey Andrew looks great! I saw Sherlock holmes yesterday and I don't know if you've seen it but there's a part where he's fighting and slows down when he's punching the guy and when he hits him his face wobbles cause of the hit and I was wondering how that's done and if it's possible to be done in after effects. If so can you please reply and let me know? Maybe do a tutorial? Thanks bro
syaf
15 years ago
you bet your guts i watch standard definition! hell my tv is black and white!(roll eyes)
Matthew Park
15 years ago
Heeeeyyyy, awesome. Ohhhhhh the lens flares looookss soooooo cooolz.
Alex Wedlake
15 years ago
Great Stuff Andrew. Its Small Tips Like This That Are Sometimes The Most Useful. Well Im Off To Buy Action Essentials 2... Finally Got My New i7 27" iMac With Adobe CS4 So I Think Ill Treat After Effects To Some Excellent Footage! Thanks Andrew (And VC Team) For All That You Do!
Samael
15 years ago
great tip Andy!, I just finnished a music video for a client and the intern that did the end credit (client wanted one) forgot aaaaaaaall about the Tiltlesafe rules for SD televisions... oh yes I glad my head is still on my shoulders...
15 years ago
Great blog! - I find it so funny working with so many producers and executives that have worked "in the biz" for decades that constantly argue that title safe is a thing of the past because "everyone's got an HDTV and they show the whole frame."

My usual response is "oh... right, I guess that's true" then I go ahead and use action safe for titles and constantly have to re-compose designs and graphics because of QC hits.

Although many people are buying HDTVs now, many are buying those BestBuy brand (or any lower costing) TVs that have surprising overscan. -- TVs that the execs aren't particularly purchasing themselves.

Thanks for this, your work is ALWAYS impressive, thanks for your tutorials Andy!
Dan Ashlin
15 years ago
CURSE YOU TITLE SAFE! I do a lot of contract work for broadcasting and everyone has their own little quirks about title safe areas. You learn quick to have your guides on all the time. I wish everyone would just buy an hd tv already lol.
Ryan
15 years ago
and I also a HD Center Cut .png file that anyone can use as a guide if they want.

you can email me at ryan(at)bigskyedit(dot)com
Ryan
15 years ago
I do a lot of broadcast graphics, and everything we make now is for HD Center Cut. Most Networks only want one master now because they just chop off their sides for their SD feeds. Believe me they will send it back if it is outside of the Safety.

Just a tip, the HD guides are pretty close in After Effects, but to be safe their Center Cut guides are little to wide. I use 32% for my Center Cut Action Safe and 40% for my Center Cut Title Safe. You will have a little wiggle room with that, but this is based off of guides I have received from many networks.
Olympia Logger
15 years ago
A bit THANKS to Adrian for the Guide in PSD !

Quick service on a freebie... just like Kramer !!!
15 years ago
@Speedy Productions
Thanks!
15 years ago
Video preview PLEASE !
illd
15 years ago
Boring stuff - but so basic and important for a correct workflow. Thanks VCP!
15 years ago
@Lee

Times are tough with the economy and all... Captain Obvious needs the work.
jawad
15 years ago
Good . Im need it
15 years ago
Thanks for pointing this out Andrew. I constantly use the safe zones in AE for my projects. I see a lot of commercials where the video editor chopped off a lot of the crucial information. This knowledge should be one of the first things video editors learn when making videos for TV distribution.
Olivier - Mauritius
15 years ago
This is a nice tip! I often got stick with stupid thing!!! But something I don't really understands, What in the world is a PSD File?
Maff
15 years ago
no problems like that here in the UK, in 1999 the government said that all commercials must be made in 16:9 and not 4:3 since we had widescreen long before HD came in 2006
15 years ago
@al2cl3: No LCD and Plasma screen have really no need for a safe zone but you never want to put text or anything of high value next to the edge of the screen.

And if you ever want to show what you made to anybody else then you have to remember that a lot of people still have standard moniters... (I wonder what kind of "safe zones" we will have when we move to holographic displays...)
15 years ago
Does someone know if this rule still aply even with 1080p screens?

If the broadcast footage is 1920x1080px and the screen 1920x1080px every pixels will be display. So there is no need for safe area. Can someone can say if i'm wrong?

Thanks!
(I have a bit of dificuty to understand safe area while using LCD,[...], plasma srceens)
Jeremy Tanuardy
15 years ago
I think that would be better if can be auto cut haha..
maybe in the future it will happen..
jmalmsten
15 years ago
This is a practice that I understand but never liked. But since people in general fail to realize how to properly set up their screens it's something we'll have to live with, I guess... I'd much more prefer that everyone just let the image get letterboxed in their TV. And that manufacturers stopped imposing overscanning. Things would get so much easier for both producers and viewers this way in the long run.

But oh, no... "good god! The whole frame isn't used!!! it's black borders over and under! That's stupid!" is the general reaction... sigh...

Now having stuff centered and not spread out into the edges as an aesthetic choice however is another thing. Like blogs and such this is common practice. But having to conform to what is essentially a widespread technical flaw is limited I think.

But then again. I'm not the one getting money to do promo's for hollywood blockbusters, aka, I'm a bit limited in experience to safely talk about this anyways.
ben
15 years ago
wide is much better
!!!
go andrew
bastian
15 years ago
A friend at Georgia Public Broadcasting tipped me off to this site about two months ago. Iâ??????d been meaning to learn After Effects since I graduated film school in 2003, but had a hard time just sitting down and forcing myself to read a book like Creating Motion Graphics from cover to cover. I started at the first Basic Training tutorial and spent every moment of my free time since then watching every second of video on this site.

I keep up with the blog, and every time I see a new tutorial go up, it makes my whole day (since I check this site first thing every morning ).

This whole time Iâ??????ve seen literally hundreds of comments to the effect of: â?????AK u r a godâ??? â?????omg Angrew thanx from Somolia you are the best!â??? and â?????Andrew, could NOT have learned AE without your helpâ???. You get accolades, thank yous and shout outs from people from every country on the planet, and are literally loved by your fans. I felt like just posting one more comment repeating the same thing would just get lost in the crowd.

But today Iâ??????ve got to say, Andrew, it makes your loyal, loyal loyal fans SO PROUD to see you working on things like Fringe and Star Trek. You single handedly walked me step by step through After Effects and literally taught me everything I know about it, and it makes me so damn happy to see your hard work paying off, and to see someone like J.J. Abrams gush about what an amazing service you provide for free.

And literally for free. Your tutorials are not just thinly veiled commercials for your own excellent products. You even sort of sheepishly apologize when you mention your kit at the very tail end of a tutorial.

Youâ??????re an amazing resource to thousands, if not millions, and you deserve every obscenely loving comment you receive on your website. I wish you and your family limitless success and I canâ??????t wait to learn what youâ??????re going to teach me next.



this
+1 _
15 years ago
realygood, andrew
a question about first video of (video update)
do you used rayfire tools for creat that?
GROUND break.
15 years ago
good techniques...
zin_onos
15 years ago
How did you create the text?
rocket
15 years ago
Dont know what it is about, but anyway
AWESOME
Timinator
15 years ago
Hey, I've had your turkey sandwich ready for over a month now. It's getting kind of moldy. I will pay full value for Sure Target 2.0, do you have a financing option on the $5,000,000? I can pay $20 a month - I will have to cancel my Netflix account but it will be worth it.
Qw3rtium
15 years ago
I wonder if we're ever going to see a piece of Andrew's work that doesn't include cool lens flares
15 years ago
I got a question, in my years of video and commercial making I've always used the action and the title safe of Sony Vegas. Though I've never heard about center cut safe.

If you got a 16:9 commercial, wouldn't that be displayed as letterbox on a standard 4:3 television, instead of cropping it?
15 years ago
And if we have some detail in corner of our screen that not work and we lost them if we use this tip!!!?

I think this is better that,
we use Black-Scope(Black-Margine) in Top and Bottom of screen.
and this is the way that everyone use on broadcast.
avi
15 years ago
i love your work
avi
15 years ago
i have dvx100b an i record n squize mode what are the propertis i need to youse in primier cs3 to have agood wide screen in 4:3 & 16:9
sagar
15 years ago
u r awesome dude
Artur
15 years ago
Nice Work Andrew
Vicky Shah
15 years ago
You always Right Sir...
Peter
15 years ago
I second Michael Davis's post.
ariel
15 years ago
OMG I HAVE SEEN THIS COMMERCIAL!
when i saw the lens flare i was like
wooahhh this is soo videocopilot lensflare
15 years ago
A friend at Georgia Public Broadcasting tipped me off to this site about two months ago. I'd been meaning to learn After Effects since I graduated film school in 2003, but had a hard time just sitting down and forcing myself to read a book like Creating Motion Graphics from cover to cover. I started at the first Basic Training tutorial and spent every moment of my free time since then watching every second of video on this site.

I keep up with the blog, and every time I see a new tutorial go up, it makes my whole day (since I check this site first thing every morning ).

This whole time I've seen literally hundreds of comments to the effect of: "AK u r a god" "omg Angrew thanx from Somolia you are the best!" and "Andrew, could NOT have learned AE without your help". You get accolades, thank yous and shout outs from people from every country on the planet, and are literally loved by your fans. I felt like just posting one more comment repeating the same thing would just get lost in the crowd.

But today I've got to say, Andrew, it makes your loyal, loyal loyal fans SO PROUD to see you working on things like Fringe and Star Trek. You single handedly walked me step by step through After Effects and literally taught me everything I know about it, and it makes me so damn happy to see your hard work paying off, and to see someone like J.J. Abrams gush about what an amazing service you provide for free.

And literally for free. Your tutorials are not just thinly veiled commercials for your own excellent products. You even sort of sheepishly apologize when you mention your kit at the very tail end of a tutorial.

You're an amazing resource to thousands, if not millions, and you deserve every obscenely loving comment you receive on your website. I wish you and your family limitless success and I can't wait to learn what you're going to teach me next.
coffee
15 years ago
you! awesome!!! wait for your new tutorial!
Nazeem
15 years ago
Thanks for your tips!

Its Useful.
15 years ago
Very good tip Andrew, not many people know that
15 years ago
For sure David. It's simple when you know about it but painful to learn the wrong way...
David
15 years ago
I learned this one the hard way on a TV spot. Even though I sent seperate HD and SD cuts, they still required the HD spot to be center cut safe.

Also, this doesn't just apply to graphics...we're now shooting all our Red footage center cut safe as well. It sucks to compose the shot that way, but if you're end result a TV spot, you have to live with it.
Michael
15 years ago
Hey Andrew, I was listening to the commentary on the Star Trek DVD and J.J. Abrams mentioned your name when the titles came up.
Frank2cool
15 years ago
Andrew, what if you have an old 4:3 Tv and you want to get rid of it so you can buy a new 16:9 HD flatscreen Tv, how can I convince the wife to go along with this?
Jhon
15 years ago
Thank u, Andrew! Your tips are always usefull
ShoeToad
15 years ago
Put that stuff into a VC Blog Show episode!
Daniel
15 years ago
hey are those your lens flare up there?
15 years ago
@ mm
No, but I sat in the theater and waited for to see it.
mm
15 years ago
Did anyone else fast forward through the credits at the end of Star Trek to find Andrew Kramer's name listed?
15 years ago
Awesome!!! Star Trek Credits AND the commercial! Thanks for the tips, and I can't wait for Optical Flares to come out it looks awesome!
Gene
15 years ago
In DVD Menus, if you render widescreen, don't most DVD players (the ones made in the last like 8 years) letterbox it for you so the safe margin thing isn't an issue?
15 years ago
I want the 100 free tutorials on dvd when are u going to put them for sale?
15 years ago
What other movies are you going to be working on Mr. Kramer? If its not too much to ask.
15 years ago
It's always better to be safe then sorry
Nathan Patterson
15 years ago
Hmm...im confused on what you are talking about Andrew. so you have guidelines for your 4:3 yet still have the lines for your HD comp?
Cameron Lee
15 years ago
Hi Andrew! Loving the Optical Flares, but is there any more news on sure target 2.0 yet? Thanks, from the UK, Cam
Max
15 years ago
I found that really useful, as I normally export for use on the web so it isn't a problem for me but I will be desining for television in the near future.

Thanks so much,
your tutorials have helped with everything I have done.
15 years ago
oh andrew.. looks like you and J.J. are BFF's now.
15 years ago
Thanks Adrian! Good stuff.
15 years ago
Just thought I'd add to the jargon.

There are 2 guides you need to use, Action Safe & Title Safe. They move depending on format (4:3 Safe, 14:9 Safe or 16:9 Safe).

Now the danger in using safe markers in after effects, Premier, Final cut, etc is that it works on a mathematical formula to give you the guides (25% in is guide one, etc..). Danger with this is it differs form program to program and standard to image size.

Its not locked!

So just watch out with it and always play it safe, don't go hard on the guides.

I used to work for a station in Australia and a lot of external adverts used to get failed because there guides didn't match the ones we used in broadcast television.

Best way is to make a PSD file with the guides in it and overlay it to check. (I've found Avid are fine, as you can't modify the size of the image)

If anyone wants a PSD for SD Pal, email me and I'll send one thru. adrian(at)freycinetpost(dot)com
chris
15 years ago
I hear ya.
Got caught out back last year designing titles for a BBC broadcast.
15 years ago
An awesome post! A mix between AE information and publicity to Star Trek!
15 years ago
Hmm, interesting info AK, glad to know it for future projects.
15 years ago
Yeah I learned that the hard way after the first subtitles I made... I always wondered why some idiot put lines on the screen where I was trying to work...
Matt
15 years ago
Look at the way those flares work it in the screen shot
Ben Thompson
15 years ago
I learned this in first year tvbroadcasting; you're running outta things to talk about Andrew!!!

PS AE2 is a god=send!!
15 years ago
@Lee the obvious is the first thing forgotten.
Lee
15 years ago
Thanks Captain Obvious.

Ian Bortz
15 years ago
Nice tip ^^, had some trobles with this some time ago
A.R.Herrington
15 years ago
Yeah... during high school such knowledge would have been useful running the TV station... I got some crap for having logos and things out of frame. Doh!
15 years ago
Awesome Andrew, are they actually using your advert? or is it just a plain example?

Cool looking stuff.
Olympia Logger
15 years ago
Asthetically speaking (aside from the technical necessity in this case), I'd actually prefer something close to that as a general rule for almost all layouts.

I always seem to use large margins (white space or otherwise) and anything that crowds the edges of a page or screen kind of makes my teeth itch.
15 years ago
@James, I was just updating the post to mention that
15 years ago
Kinda funny how when it comes to HD motion graphics etc. all you get is extra background.
15 years ago
Good call...it's suprising how many people forget this for broadcast, as well as DVD menu design.
Chris
15 years ago
interesting, thanks and it also looks very great !
John
15 years ago
looks great, really looking forward to the flares plug in release.
Marcus
15 years ago
Thanks for your tips!

I appreciate them very much
15 years ago
Optical Flares is looking real good there.
15 years ago
awesome andrew really really sweet