Custom Aspect Ratio and Padding "on the fly"

Based on discussion at VLC forum website: http://forum.videolan.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=96801#p321989

I suggest to make 2 hotkeys to adjust totally custom AR on-the-fly by adjusting of width of a video (+/-, wider/narrower). Unlike "a" hotkey, where predefined AR list is cycled. Some information could be displayed on a screen, for example: "640:480=1.333". Increasing/decreasing the width by certain step (1 pixel or gradually if hotkey is pressed for a longer time) by pressing appropriate hotkey should immediately visually transform the picture and recalculate the information.

There could be also some hotkeys for "Padd" part of "Cropadd" Video scaling filter like "Crop" part already has. It is useful to move subtitles under/above the video from inside area of video picture. At least "Pad to bottom" and "Pad to top" should work this way on-the-fly. If it is possible then a custom color for added pads would be great.

CROPPING, PADDING, Custom AR on the fly cover all usual needs in picture transformations and VLC could be much closer to other more user friendly media players.

Thanks

There are already hotkeys to crop on the fly. So you want the same for AR?

Replying to [comment:1 jb]:

There are already hotkeys to crop on the fly. So you want the same for AR?

Yes, there are already hotkeys to crop on the fly. I suggest to have hotkeys also for "padding". While CROP removes unwanted pads, PADD adds black pads :) At least "Pad to bottom" and "Pad to top" would be useful to move subtitles under/above from video picture. If there were such hotkeys, users could easily create some black (or custom color) pads for subtitles. Immediate visual transformation of the picture is important, i.e. user friendly.

Crop+Padd=cropadd Video scaling filter (In VLC preferences: Show settings (All) > Video > Filters > cropadd)

But custom AR has much higher priority for me than Padding. There is "A" hotkey already available to change aspect ratio. It cycles ratios of the predefined list of standard ratios: VLC menu Video > Aspect Ratio > Defalt, 1:1, 4:3, 16:9, ... It is also possible to add custom aspect ratio to the list of predefined aspect ratios in preferences. But sometimes it is necessary to adjust proportions of the picture and standard predefined ratios are not suitable and user do not know correct numbers to put in preferences.

User friendly would be to change AR by adjusting width of the picture. For example if video picture is 640x480 pixels, then 2 hotkeys could adjust the 640 to 641, 642, 643, ... to make the picture wider so the new AR with immediate visual effect (picture transformation on-the-fly) would be 641:480, 642:480, 643:480, ... And if the custom AR information is displayed in the picture as OSD text, users can compare with standards acpect ratios (720:480=1.5 in compare to 4/3=1.333, 16/9=1.777). So watching a movie in fullscreen mode and ability to adjust AR on-the-fly using 2 hotkeys would be very user friendly.

I think that making custom AR could be much more easier to do than Padding. But to have all 3: CROP, PADD and CAR on-the-fly would be great.

Thanks (VLC 1.1.10, WIN32, GUI, QT4, Windows XP SP2)

added Component::Interface: Qt Type::feature labels

Free aspect ratio could be the right expression for this. You know what I mean: using 2 hotkeys to change picture's proportions (wider <-> narrower) easily on-the-fly and independently from predefined aspect ratios.

Forum: Re: Valid custom aspect ratios?

That is why I have suggested a "free aspect ratio" feature - 2 hotkeys to make video wider/narrower on-the-fly, without necessity of user's knowledge and manual input of any numbers. Just to watch how a video is changing its proportions while pressing those hotkeys.