Freebie: Atomic Stretch Aspect Ratio Converter from Atomic Image Labs

Found via Lesterbanks.  Thanks for sharing.

Atomic Stretch: Optimally bounded real-time stretching and beyond

Resizing video footage to a desired aspect ratio, also known as re-targeting, is a task exercised constantly by photographers, video editors, and the like. Footage from different sensors with ratios 4:3, 16:9 or 21:9 (from anamorphic lenses) has to be matched with different output devices, where the most common ratios are 16:9 (widescreen) and 21:9 (cinamascope). If web pages and billboards are included, any ratio can be encountered. Many cameras simply achieve 16:9 by cropping a 4:3 sensor, thus discarding data that might otherwise have been used.

Atomic Stretch is a plugin for your preferred Adobe video editing tool, allowing real-time smooth and optimally bounded retargetting from and to any aspect ratio.  The plugin allows preserving of high interest pixels through a protected region, attention redirection through color-modification, countering barrelling effects through vertical stretching, and tracking of targets of interest.

Atomic Stretch works with both PC and Mac and has been optimized for After Effects and Premiere versions CS6 and above. It is absolutely free and will remain to be so.

Download Atomic Stretch here.