Did you know video editing directly impacts engagement, branding, and conversions? We see this all the time, and we wanted to touch base on one of the most overlooked aspects: knowing how to crop a video. Business owners, marketers, and those involved in video production should use cropping for different reasons.
In this blog post, we’ll show you what video cropping is, its importance, video cropper tools, and a step-by-step guide on how to crop a video the easy way. And the best news? You don’t need advanced editing skills to refine your business videos.
Video Cropping and Why Is It Important
Video cropping is the process of cutting out unwanted edges or parts of a video to focus on the most important content. It’ll help you improve framing, remove distractions, and adjust the video’s size for different platforms, like TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram.
Knowing how to crop a video will make it look more professional and engaging. For example, you can crop any background distractions, or if you filmed your video in a wide format and need to fit a square or vertical screen, you can adjust the dimensions with cropping.
The idea is to ensure your content looks clean, focused, and optimized for your audience, on any device.
Easiest Tools to Crop a Video
Thanks to social media platforms and how many businesses upload videos day-to-day, there are many video editing software available. Here’s a list of both free and paid software to explore, that will make it easy to crop a video.
Adobe Express | Free Video Cropper
Adobe Express is a free video cropper tool that makes it easy for the user. You can easily upload your video and select the aspect ratio or freeform for customization before downloading to use.
Canva Free Video Cropper Tool
The Canva Free Video Cropper Tool is another easy tool that you can use on any device. All you need to do is upload your video in one of the following formats: MP4, MOV, MKV, WEBM, and MPEG file. Use it to adjust aspect ratios and preserve video quality.
Online Video Cropper
The Online Video Cropper works similarly to the Adobe Express and Canva, so you upload the support video format and adjust depending on the platform where you’ll publish the video.
Clipchamp
With Clipchamp, you can crop any video, image, or graphic, remove edges, and create a new aspect ratio.
Mobile Apps
There are popular mobile apps available on iPhone and Android devices. The most popular apps include CapCut, InShot, and VN Video. Each app comes with a learning curve, but once you have the basics down, you’ll easily know how to crop a video in them.
Step-by-Step Guide on How to Crop a Video
Here are the basics on how to crop a video when editing your business footage.
- Choose a Video Cropper Tool: After checking out the cropper tools from above, choose one to try out for your next video.
- Upload the video you want to crop: Open your video cropper tool using your desktop or mobile device. Select the video file to upload, drag, or drop your video. Wait for the video to upload to the editor. Depending on the tool and how lengthy the video is, it might take a few minutes.
- Select the crop tool: Or tap the crop icon to select the cropping area. Drag the frame edges to remove any unwanted parts.
- Crop it to size: Pick from preset sizes, but remember that each social media platform, website, and YouTube have different ratios. Adjust accordingly. Common preset sizes include 1:1 (square), 4:5 (portrait, but not fully vertical), 16:9 (widescreen), and 9:16 (vertical/portrait). Make sure the important parts of your video remain visible.
- Choose the format: MP4 will work for most platforms, but you can also choose between MKV and MOV. Don’t forget to save.
- Preview and export your video: Press ‘Play’ to check your cropped video and make sure it looks good. Once done, hit ‘Export’ or ‘Download’ to save it.
And that’s how to crop a video, the easy way.
FAQ About Video Cropping
What’s the difference between cropping and trimming a video?
Cropping a video removes unwanted frame edges, helping you reframe the subject or adjust the aspect ratio. Trimming, on the other hand, shortens a video by cutting out specific time segments without changing the frame.
Will cropping a video reduce its quality?
Cropping does not inherently reduce quality, but if you zoom in too much or export the video in a lower resolution, you may notice a drop in sharpness. Always export in the highest resolution available for the best results.
Can I crop a video without losing key elements?
Yes! When cropping, always focus on the main subject and avoid cutting off important details. Many tools offer guides or grid overlays to help maintain proper framing.
Can I crop a video directly from my phone?
Yes! Mobile apps like CapCut, InShot, and VN Video let you crop videos on both iPhone and Android devices quickly and easily.
Get Cropping for Better Video Content
Using a video cropper tool is the easiest method to get rid of any unwanted edges, improve framing, remove distractions, and adjust the aspect ratios. Adding this as part of your video editing process will make your business videos on your website, YouTube, and socials look more professional.
At Minifridge Media, we make cool videos for businesses, whether it’s commercials or attention-grabbing corporate videos. Reach out to us today for your upcoming video production.