For decades, Adobe has been a hero for digital video creatives. Once you learn Adobe software, you become a master at achieving the untapped potential of your art. Premiere Pro is Adobe’s contribution to the video-editing scene, and with it you can create dynamic videos that flow. If you have a shot with extraneous or distracting background action or if you are just looking to create an interesting picture in picture effect–you may need to crop your frame to eliminate it. The Premiere Pro crop video effect allows you to do this.
When to Use Crop Video
Cropping a video saves you from having to reshoot because of costly mistakes. Maybe you’ve got a microphone hanging into your shot, or the camera operator’s fingers crept over the lens. If you’re filming in a public place, you could have accidental extras wandering through the background. When you’re sitting down to edit a film, you rarely have the opportunity to go back to your location and get it right. Cropping is sometimes the only option you have to redeem an otherwise perfect shot.
Cropping is also a powerful aesthetic tool. You can change the aspect ratio of footage to help work in archival footage. You can use multiple cropped clips on the same frame creating a picture-in-picture effect. All of these things are powerful tools when achieving the perfect look for your video project.
Using the Crop Effect
Import your video or open an existing project using your preferred method. Make sure your video has been dragged to the timeline before you get started. With Premiere Pro, video output manipulation is done with effects and filters. So in order to crop the video to a smaller size, you’ll need to apply the appropriate effect.
You’ll find the effects panel by clicking the tab found on the left-hand side of the screen, on the bottom. Then you’ll select Video Effects > Transform > Crop. With your cursor on the Crop effect, drag and drop it to the timeline.
A box will appear in your viewer. You’ll use the crop effect menu on the top-left of your screen to set the size of your box; everything outside of the box will be cropped from your video. You should see percentage fields for each side: left, top, right and bottom. Double-click in each field to type in the percentage you’d like to cut from each side.
Knowing the right percentage to crop is an exercise of trial-and-error. Start with big numbers to get an approximation and then nudge the percentage up or down one number at a time to get it just right. Once you’ve got your desired output inside the box, you’re done!
Present the Perfect Video
The Premiere Pro crop video tool can remarkably improve your video’s final look. Shutterstock gives you all the tools and resources you need to present your absolute best work. You can supplement your presentation with beautifully shot stock videos and photography.
Cover image via Frame Stock Footage.
For more Premiere Pro tips and tricks – check out these articles!
- 80 Free Transitions for Premiere Pro Video Editors
- 10 Premiere Pro Video Editing Hacks You Probably Don’t Use
- Premiere Pro Playbook: 10 Video Editing Workflow Tips
- Video Tutorial: How to Change Colors on Footage in Premiere Pro
