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How to Crop Video in Premiere Pro 🎥

 

 How to Crop Video in Premiere Pro 🎥


how to crop video in premiere pro

 

 

Article Outline

 

 Introduction

 Overview of Cropping in Premiere

   What is cropping video?

   Why crop video in Premiere?

   Cropping vs trimming video

 Steps to Crop Video in Premiere

   Access the Crop Effect in the Premiere Pro Effects Panel

     Locate the Crop effect in the Effects tab

     Drag and drop the effect onto your clip

   Adjust the Crop Settings in the Effect Controls

     Enter numeric measurements for precise cropping

     Click and drag crop borders to interactively adjust

      Use crop guides and overlays for accuracy

   Render and Export the Cropped Video

     Apply crop changes and render clip

     Export cropped clip for use in project

 Cropping for Specific Goals and Scenarios

   Cropping Out Black Bars and Letterboxing

     Identify black bar spacing in footage

     Adjust crop top and bottom values accordingly

     Preview cropped frame without black bars

    Cropping to Create Custom Zoom and Pan Effects

     Import larger clip for zooming potential

     Animate crop position keyframes to pan across clip

     Change crop size over time to create zoom illusion

   Cropping to Specific Aspect Ratios and Frame Sizes

     Calculate target aspect ratio dimensions

     Set crop overlays and guides for aspect framing

     Adjust crop numerically to perfectly match aspect

 Pro Tips for Cropping Video Professionally

   Use Guides and Grids for Precision Framing

     Overlay guides matching target dimensions

     Use grid to align crop with rule of thirds

   Preview Full Clip Before Deciding Crop Points

     Scan entire clip first to find key action

     Determine relevant focal points and action beats

     Plan crop to highlight important moments

   Maintain Both Cropped and Original Footage

     Retain original in case alternate crop needed

     Cropped clip becomes permanent edit

     Original preserves full framing options

 Conclusion

 FAQs

 

 How to Crop Video in Premiere Pro 🎥

 

 Introduction

 

Cropping video clips is an essential technique for creating professional, engaging video projects in Adobe Premiere Pro. Cropping allows you to refine the framing, orientation, and size of footage to hone in on the most important visuals and action.

 

Premiere's crop effect is a simple yet powerful tool for removing distractions, fixing framing issues, creating zooms and pans, or tailoring media for different aspect ratios and frame sizes. Learning to strategically crop video unlocks new creative possibilities and improves overall video quality.

 

In this comprehensive guide, we'll cover everything you need to know to master cropping in Premiere Pro, including:

 

- The nuts and bolts of how to crop clips in the timeline

- Specialized cropping methods for different scenarios

- Pro tips for getting the best results when cropping

- Common FAQs about cropping in Premiere

 

Cropping is an essential skill that can take your videos to the next level. Let's dive in!

 

 Overview of Cropping in Premiere

 

To start mastering video cropping in Premiere Pro, you first need to understand what cropping is, why you'd want to crop, and how it differs from other editing techniques like trimming.

 

 What is cropping video?

 

Cropping refers to removing outer edges of a video clip to create a closer, tighter frame on the main focal point. Anything outside the designated crop area gets permanently removed from the footage.

 

It effectively "zooms in" on a portion of the existing video, enhancing and featuring certain elements while downplaying or eliminating others. Cropping lets you hone in on only the most important, relevant visuals from a given shot.

 

For example, you could crop a wide nature shot down to only the active wildlife in the center, or crop an interview close-up to better frame the subject's face. Cropping creates closer, more intimate framing.

 

 Why crop video in Premiere?

 

Here are some of the main reasons you'd want to crop video footage in your Premiere Pro editing workflow:

 

- Reframe and focus viewer attention - Cropping eliminates distractions and draws the eye only to key visuals. Remove cluttered backgrounds or stray edges to hone in on the action.

 

- Fix improperly framed shots - Crop to "reframe" shots with elements positioned too high, low, left or right. Salvage distracting or imbalanced framing.

 

- Prepare media for specific aspect ratios - Tailor footage for platforms like YouTube, Instagram, etc. by cropping to fit needed dimensions.

 

- Create zooms and pans - Animate cropping over time to zoom in or pan across a shot for added motion.

 

- Get rid of black bars and letterboxing - Crop out the black pillarboxing that appears on some legacy footage.

 

- Change orientation from landscape to portrait - Crop wide landscape shots vertically to fit portrait orientations.

 

Cropping is useful in countless editing scenarios. It solves many common video problems!

 

 Cropping vs trimming video

 

It's crucial to understand the difference between cropping and trimming footage:

 

- Cropping removes pixels from the outer edges, cutting from the outside in. The focal point remains centered.

 

- Trimming shortens the clip from either the head or tail. It cuts from the front or back, shifting the frame's focus earlier or later.

 

Trimming saves time by removing unnecessary heads and tails. Cropping refines the core framing within a shot. Master both techniques for efficient editing!

 

Now that you understand the basics of cropping, let's look at how to actually crop clips in Premiere Pro.

 

 Steps to Crop Video in Premiere

 

Premiere makes cropping clips simple. Just apply the Crop effect and adjust the cropping overlay to achieve the desired custom framing. Here's how it works:

 

 Access the Crop Effect in the Premiere Pro Effects Panel

 

To crop any video or image asset in Premiere, you first need to add the Crop effect:

 

 Locate the Crop effect in the Effects tab

 

Open the Effects panel and select the Video Effects folder. Then locate the Crop effect under the Transform subfolder.

 

 Drag and drop the effect onto your clip

 

Click and drag the Crop effect directly onto the clip you want to crop in the timeline. This applies the cropping parameters and overlay to that clip.

 

 Adjust the Crop Settings in the Effect Controls

 

Once the Crop effect is added, you can tweak the settings to achieve your desired crop:

 

 Enter numeric measurements for precise cropping

 

In the Effect Controls, manually set pixel measurements for the Top, Left, Bottom, and Right to define an exact crop size and position.

 

 Click and drag crop borders to interactively adjust

 

You can also click and drag the crop overlay borders on the Program Monitor to visually set the crop. The video preview updates live as you adjust.

 

 Use crop guides and overlays for accuracy

 

Enable guides like Aspect Ratio, Grids, Anchor Point, etc. to crop accurately to specific dimensions and alignments.

 

 Render and Export the Cropped Video

 

With the crop effect settings perfect, apply the changes permanently:

 

 Apply crop changes and render clip

 

Click the Apply button in the Effect Controls to finalize the crop edits and render the changes into the clip.

 

 Export cropped clip for use in project

 

The cropped video is now ready to export and use throughout your project!

 

And that's it - Premiere makes cropping video clips simple and intuitive. Now let's go over some more advanced, specialized methods.

 

 Cropping for Specific Goals and Scenarios

 

Certain cropping techniques are better suited for particular editing goals:

 

 Cropping Out Black Bars and Letterboxing

 

Some older SD footage or improperly framed shots have black bars along the edges from pillarboxing or letterboxing. Cropping is a quick way to get rid of them:

 

 Identify black bar spacing in footage

 

Scan through the clip and determine how many pixels the letterboxing bars are consuming top/bottom or left/right.

 

 Adjust crop top and bottom values accordingly

 

In the Effect Controls, increase the Top and Bottom crop values equally by the right amount to crop off black bars.

 

 Preview cropped frame without black bars

 

The crop preview will now show your shot filling the full frame without bars!

 

 Cropping to Create Custom Zoom and Pan Effects

 

By keyframing the crop over time, you can create dynamic zooming and panning effects:

 

 Import larger clip for zooming potential

 

Start with a high res clip with room to scale up and move around within the frame.

 

 Animate crop position keyframes to pan across clip

 

Change the crop Anchor Point over time to slowly pan across the footage.

 

 Change crop size over time to create zoom illusion

 

Enlarge the crop size over time to zoom in, and shrink it to zoom back out.

 

 Cropping to Specific Aspect Ratios and Frame Sizes

 

Cropping clips to exact dimensions prepares them for various social, web, and device deliverable formats:

 

 Calculate target aspect ratio dimensions

 

Determine the pixel dimensions needed for platforms like Instagram or YouTube.

 

 Set crop overlays and guides for aspect framing

 

Enable the Aspect Ratio overlay at your target aspect to visually frame shots.

 

 Adjust crop numerically to perfectly match aspect

 

Dial in the Left, Right, Top, and Bottom values to crop each side precisely.

 

Cropping for specific aspect ratios ensures properly sized exports for any media audience or destination.

 

 Pro Tips for Cropping Video Professionally

 

Take your Premiere Pro cropping skills to the next level with these professional techniques:

 

 Use Guides and Grids for Precision Framing

 

Guides and grids overlayed on the Program Monitor help crop footage meticulously:

 

 Overlay guides matching target dimensions

 

Display guides at the exact aspect ratio or dimensions needed for project.

 

 Use grid to align crop with rule of thirds

 

Line up the crop borders with important points on the rule of thirds grid.

 

 Preview Full Clip Before Deciding Crop Points

 

Scan through the entire clip to identify the most engaging sections before cropping:

 

 Scan entire clip first to find key action

 

Get a sense of the full picture before focal points.

 

 Determine relevant focal points and action beats

 

Note key moments of action, dialogue, etc. to highlight.

 

 Plan crop to highlight important moments

 

Strategize the best crop framing to feature the best moments.

 

 Maintain Both Cropped and Original Footage

 

When cropping, retain the original uncropped footage just in case:

 

 Retain original in case alternate crop needed

 

Uncropped footage preserves flexibility to re-crop differently.

 

 Cropped clip becomes permanent edit

 

Once rendered, the crop effect is baked into the exported video.

 

 Original preserves full framing options

 

The original maintains the full area and flexibility of the shot.

 

Using guides, scoping the full clip, and preserving originals will help take your Premiere Pro cropping to professional grade.

 

 Conclusion

 

Cropping video clips is a deceptively simple yet incredibly powerful technique for refining and transforming your footage. Strategic cropping focuses attention on visual storytelling, fixes problematic framing, removes black bars, allows custom zooms and pans, and prepares media for multiple aspect ratios.

 

Truly mastering cropping in Premiere Pro unlocks new creative possibilities and brings your videos to higher levels of professional polish. The crop tool improves the cinematography, composition, and overall quality of footage.

 

We've just scratched the surface of cropping techniques and best practices here.

 

Now grab some footage and start cropping clips like a pro! Fine-tuning your video framing makes all the difference.

 

 FAQs

 

How do I crop video in Premiere Pro?

 

To crop clips in Premiere, first select the clip in the timeline. Go to Effects > Video Effects > Transform and drag the Crop effect onto the clip. Adjust the crop area by entering numeric values or dragging the crop borders and overlays. Click Apply when finished cropping.

 

Does cropping reduce video quality?

 

No, cropping does not reduce quality or resolution of the remaining cropped area. It only removes pixels from the outer edges. However, aggressive cropping that zooms beyond native resolution may degrade quality.

 

What are the keyboard shortcuts to crop in Premiere?

 

Select the clip and press C to enter crop mode. Then press Shift + C to center the crop, or click and drag crop handles on the program monitor to adjust. Press Enter to exit crop mode.

 

How do I crop a specific area of a video clip?

 

To crop a certain area, first enlarge the crop borders well beyond that area, then click and drag the anchor point on the crop overlay to position it directly over the desired focal point. You can also nudge the crop numerically.

 

Can I re-crop clips multiple times in Premiere Pro?

 

Yes, cropping is non-destructive, so you can adjust and even remove the crop effect anytime to try different framing options. The original footage remains intact below the crop effect.

 

How do I remove black bars when cropping in Premiere?

 

Increase the Top and Bottom crop amounts equally to push the crop edges in just enough to remove the letterboxing bars top and bottom. Go slowly until bars disappear.

 

What is better - scaling or cropping in Premiere Pro?

 

Cropping is better in most cases. Scaling (resizing clips) tends to degrade quality and looks pixelated, especially enlarged. Cropping avoids quality loss and zooms in cleanly by removing pixels.

 

How can I zoom and pan footage using cropping?

 

Import a large, high-res clip. Then keyframe the Anchor Point crop setting to slowly pan across the frame over time. Also keyframe Size to scale the crop up/down to zoom in and out.

 

What aspect ratio should I crop video for YouTube?

 

The standard YouTube player is 16:9 widescreen. Set the Aspect Ratio overlay to 16:9 and position the crop guides to frame the most relevant visuals inside the guides.

 

How do I crop portrait orientation video for Instagram?

 

Instagram video is 9:16 vertical. Set the crop Aspect Ratio to 9:16. Make the crop taller than wide to fit the important action inside the vertical guides. Adjust values for perfect 9:16.

 

What is better for cropping - After Effects or Premiere Pro?

 

Premiere and After Effects both allow cropping footage. Premiere is better for quick clip refinement before editing. After Effects gives more creative control for cropping complex frame animation and motion graphics work.

 

Is there a crop tool built into Premiere's Program Monitor?

 

Yes - click the crop icon in the Program Monitor toolbar to activate selection-based cropping. But this applies no effect, so the Crop effect gives more control with parameters and keyframing.

 

How can I tell if a clip is already cropped in Premiere?

 

Check for existing crop effects in the Effects tab. Also, cropped clips often have unusual dimensions like 2048x858 rather than even numbers. Comparison with original footage will also reveal if cropping occurred.

 

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