Need to change the focus of your video clip but you don’t want to re-shoot your footage? The crop tool can help!
Cropping is the process of moving or adjusting the edges of an image or video clip.
Often used for photo editing, it is also helpful when editing video. With cropping, you can remove unnecessary or distracting portions of a video clip or change its dimensions to fit within a certain area.
Whether you’re working with footage from a camera or screen video, you will likely run into times when you need to crop these clips. Camera footage is often cropped to change the emphasis of a shot or remove unwanted and distracting portions.
Whether you’re working with footage from a camera or screen video, you will likely run into times when you need to crop these clips. Camera footage is often cropped to change the emphasis of a shot or remove unwanted and distracting portions.
How to crop a video
Here are step-by-step instructions to crop a video using Camtasia.
Step 1:
With a video clip or image selected on the canvas, you can select the crop tool button.
Step 2:
With the crop button selected, select the video clip or image that you want to crop.
Step 3:
A thin blue line and handles will appear on your media, signifying that crop mode is enabled.
Click and hold the handles to drag the edges of the clip or image until the desired shot is achieved.
Step 4:
When you’re finished, toggle back to the cursor by clicking the pointer option above the canvas.
After a clip is cropped, you can move it wherever you need on the canvas.
How to un-crop a clip
Using Camtasia to crop a clip is particularly convenient because it’s “non-destructive.” This means that when a clip is cropped, the original clip remains intact.
So, if you’re working later on and realize you need to change how the clip has been cropped, you can!
Simply use the steps earlier in this post to toggle crop mode and make the necessary changes by adjusting the edges.
How is cropping different from zooming and trimming?
As we discussed above, cropping is the process of moving or adjusting the edges of an image. Of course, there are other ways to edit your video that don’t involve cropping images or parts of your video. Splitting and trimming are two common techniques.
Zooming is perfect for software tutorials and demonstrations when you need to display a detailed view of a user interface. Camtasia lets you zoom in or out in your videos by changing the size or scale of clips and images.
Trimming usually refers to removing part of the beginning or end of a video clip. Sometimes, this is referred to as trimming the top or tail (beginning or end). Trimming is critical to making sure that your video starts quickly and you don’t lose your audience’s attention. The video cutter in Camtasia allows you to trim the video and audio files separately.
Cropping, zooming, and splitting are great techniques to have in your video editing tool belt!
What is scaling?
Scaling an image will change the overall size of that image. It is always best to display media at 100% scale in Camtasia. Camera footage can sometimes be scaled down without losing as much clarity.
In either case, stretching a video or image larger than its natural size can cause pixelation. The scale of a clip or image in Camtasia can be viewed and edited in the Properties panel.
When you should crop a video
Here are a few ways that cropping can be a helpful technique to have in your toolbox:
- Fitting footage in a specific space or frame – like a device frame
- Patching a mistake or irregularity in a screen recording
- Removing black bars from mobile video
- Showing simultaneous actions happening in separate areas of your screen
- Displaying multiple clips on screen simultaneously
- Isolating part of a user interface
Now that you have learned how to crop a video in Camtasia, get out there and work some video magic!
