MTS / AVI troubleshooting

MTS to AVI for Pinnacle Studio: Fix Stretching and Blurry Video

Bring your MTS recording into Pinnacle with the right picture shape and quality. Use LosslessConverter to choose an editing format, adjust the output, and prepare your clips in four steps.

By LosslessConverter · Updated October 12, 2026

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See the four conversion steps with screenshots

A display-shape illustration, not a conversion test. Check the original file’s proportions before changing resolution.

Your MTS recording will not open, and the AVI does not look right

You have a musical recorded as MTS files and want to edit it in Pinnacle Studio 14, the editor you already use for other projects, but the MTS footage will not open.

You try converting the recording to AVI. With default settings, the image looks clear but the performers appear stretched and too thin. A second conversion at 1280 × 720 gives more natural proportions, yet the picture looks less detailed.

The goal is to get back to editing with natural-looking people, clear footage, and settings you understand. You need to know which output format and picture settings to choose, rather than keep repeating conversions with different defaults.

The sections below explain what each symptom means. Then follow the illustrated LosslessConverter workflow to prepare an editing copy, check it in Pinnacle, and apply the confirmed settings to the rest of the recording.

Why will Pinnacle not open my MTS file?

An older editor may reject the source container or the codec inside it. Converting to a supported editing format can provide another path into the editor.

The useful distinction is container versus codec: AVI is the file container, while DivX or Xvid describes the video encoding inside it. Both the file type and its encoding need to be supported. Corel's Studio 14 documentation lists AVI, DivX, and MPEG-2 among its supported workflows, with edition-specific component requirements.

In LosslessConverter, start with an AVI sample if that is your intended workflow. If it still will not open, choose the MPEG-2 editing route instead. This creates a different editing file for the same source footage.

Why do people look stretched or too thin?

A sharp picture can still have the wrong shape. If performers look too thin, check display proportions separately from image quality. Compare the original and converted files in a player, then compare the AVI inside Pinnacle. If only Pinnacle looks wrong, check the project's picture format and how it interprets the clip.

Frame size and display aspect ratio are not always identical. For example, some 1440 × 1080 recordings use non-square pixels to display at 16:9. Treating those pixels as square can make the picture look too narrow. Check your source properties before applying this explanation to your footage. Adobe explains this distinction.

Preserve the intended display shape, and avoid stretching or cropping simply to fill the screen. A higher bitrate will not correct squeezed proportions.

Why does the converted video look blurry?

Choosing 1280 × 720 may produce a correctly shaped widescreen image, but it reduces detail if the original has a higher resolution. If the source is already 720p, check compression settings and Pinnacle's preview quality instead. Choose the output from your source properties rather than assuming every MTS recording needs 1920 × 1080.

Keep useful source resolution and start with a high-quality output setting. If you adjust bitrate manually, judge the result with the chosen AVI codec: a bitrate used for an H.264 source is not automatically suitable for DivX or Xvid. Compare motion and fine detail in a short exported clip.

Before batching, also check the source frame rate and whether it is interlaced. These affect motion as well as sharpness. The optional technical notes below explain how to inspect those properties.

The LosslessConverter workflow

Prepare your recording for Pinnacle in four steps

LosslessConverter brings output format, resolution, frame rate, and quality controls into one workflow. Choose an editing format, keep the intended picture shape, and adjust compression before converting the full recording.

Add MTS files

Open LosslessConverter and click Add Files, then select one representative .mts or .m2ts clip. You can also drag the file into the central drop area.

Choose a clip with movement and sound so you can check both the picture and the audio.

LosslessConverter Add Files button and central file drop area — Click Add Files at the top, or drag an MTS clip into the drop area. Select a screenshot to view it at full size.

Choose AVI

At the bottom of the main window, open Output Format. Select the Video tab, then click AVI in the format list. Choose an available AVI profile and return to the main window. Confirm that the intended job now shows AVI as its output.

If the AVI still will not open in Pinnacle, follow the MPEG-2 guide. See the troubleshooting notes below for the reason.

Select AVI in the Video tab, then choose a profile that matches your footage and editor.

Adjust settings

Click the settings icon beside Output Format. Work through these four checks to address the two picture problems:

Quality: start with High Quality to prioritize detail. If you use a custom bitrate, compare faces, costumes, and movement before processing the entire performance.
Resolution: keep useful source detail. For a 1920 × 1080 recording, select 1920 × 1080 rather than reducing it to 1280 × 720 merely to change the picture shape.
Picture shape: preserve the source's intended display ratio. For 1440 × 1080 footage intended to display at 16:9, a 1920 × 1080 square-pixel output is one option. Check the preview and the file in Pinnacle; avoid forcing a widescreen recording into 4:3.
Frame Rate: use the source video's frame rate to avoid changing its motion. If you are unsure, read the extra settings notes below before changing it.

Click Save, then check that the job shows AVI and the resolution you intended. Leave other controls unchanged unless your footage or Pinnacle requires a different setting.

LosslessConverter AVI output settings — Open the settings beside Output Format. Choose Resolution and review Quality and Frame Rate for your source.

Convert and check

Choose an Output Folder so you can find the converted file. Click Convert beside the test item, or Start All if only that test is queued. Wait for processing to finish, then open the destination folder.

Import the AVI into Pinnacle, add it to your project, and export a short section. Check the result using the list below.

Once the result looks and sounds right, use the same settings for clips recorded in the same camera mode. Click Start All to convert the queue.

Check these four things before converting the rest

It opens: Pinnacle imports the AVI and places it on the timeline.
It looks natural: faces are not squeezed, and important parts of the picture are not cut off.
It stays clear: details and movement look acceptable in the exported clip.
It sounds right: the expected audio is present and matches the picture.

For a long recording, also check the beginning, middle, and end of the completed output.

Still having trouble?

Open a question only if you need more detail.

Why might an AVI still fail to open?

AVI is the file container; the video inside also uses an encoding format. LosslessConverter lists DivX and Xvid for AVI output, but an older editor may support only some codec combinations.

Test the MPEG-2 alternative instead. Corel lists MPEG-2 among Studio 14's supported formats. See the supported-format list, component comparison, and LosslessConverter output formats.

My file is 1440 × 1080. Why can it still be widescreen?

Some cameras store a narrower frame that is meant to display as widescreen. If a player or editor reads that shape incorrectly, people can look too thin.

For a 1440 × 1080 file intended to display at 16:9, either preserve that display interpretation or deliberately resize it to 1920 × 1080 with square pixels. Check the result; this is not a setting to apply to every MTS file. Adobe explains pixel aspect ratios.

How do I find the right frame rate and other source settings?

A tool such as MediaInfo can show the original file's resolution, frame rate, and scan type. Use that information when choosing output settings.

For interlaced recordings, 60i can mean 59.94 fields per second, equivalent to 29.97 interlaced frames. It is not an instruction to choose 60 progressive frames per second. See Sony's format-label explanation.

Can I keep exactly the same quality?

The DivX/Xvid AVI conversion described here re-encodes the video and can lose detail. Keeping the source resolution and choosing suitable quality settings can reduce visible changes, but it does not make this a lossless conversion.

Keep your original recording. Increasing resolution cannot recreate lost detail, and increasing bitrate cannot fix stretched proportions. Adobe's encoding guide explains how these settings affect quality.

Get your performance ready for the timeline

Use LosslessConverter to set the editing format, picture size, frame rate, and quality in one place. Once the first clip works in your project, apply those settings to the remaining recordings.

Need help choosing settings? Send support your Pinnacle version, source-file properties, output settings, and a screenshot of the problem so the advice can match your footage.