Crop Video to the Frame That Matters
What cropping changes in your video
Remove black bars or unwanted areas from a video with a rectangular crop selection. Choose an aspect ratio or position the crop around the subject and check it in the preview. Cropping removes pixels around the edges; it does not shorten the clip. If you need a specific output resolution after cropping, continue with Resize Video.
Cost: Free to use. File size and usage limits apply.
How to crop a video
Add one video
Click Upload a video to crop or drop a file on the preview: MP4, MOV, M4V, MKV, WebM, AVI, MPEG or OGV, up to 200 MB. Uploads lists videos you already used in other tools. The line under the preview shows the source size, for example
1920x1080px.Choose a shape if you need one
Under 1. Crop box, click a ratio such as 9:16 or 1:1. A ratio replaces the current box with a new centred one, so pick it before you fine-tune the position. Leave Free selected to size every side independently.
Place the crop box
Everything outside the box is dimmed. Drag inside the box to move it, or drag one of the eight handles to resize it; this also works with a finger on a phone. For exact edges, enter pixel values in Width, Height, X and Y.
Check the whole clip
Press Play and let the clip run; the preview loops. The box stays in the same place for the entire video, so make sure the subject never leaves it.
Crop and download
Click Crop video. When the job is done, the preview switches to the result with normal player controls. Download saves it, Continue editing takes you back to the box on the original, and the result also appears in Uploads for other tools.
Crop box settings
All values are pixels of the original video, counted from its top-left corner. When you open a video, the box is centred and covers 70% of the width and height.
- Free, 1:1, 4:3, 16:9, 9:16, 4:5
- Free is the default and lets every side move on its own; clicking it later only removes the ratio lock. A ratio replaces the current box with a centred one in that shape, sized to 75% of the side that limits it. On a 1920 × 1080 px video, 1:1 gives 810 × 810 px and 9:16 gives 454 × 810 px. The ratio is held while you drag the handles, up to the full width or height of the frame, and when you type into Width or Height the other side follows.
- Width and Height
- The size of the finished video in px, from 20 px up to the full source size. Odd numbers are rounded down to even ones (1079 px becomes 1078 px), because H.264 and most other encoders need even dimensions for standard 4:2:0 video. Type the value you need; it is checked when you leave the field or press Enter.
- X and Y
- The top-left corner of the box.
X 0,Y 0is the top-left corner of the frame. A value that would push the box past the right or bottom edge is reduced to the largest one that still fits. - Reset
- Returns the box to the centred 70% default, sets the ratio back to Free and discards the current result.
Cropping black borders: worked numbers
Black borders appear when a picture was placed in a frame of a different shape. Instead of dragging by eye, you can work out the crop from the two ratios.
Bars left and right. A 4:3 picture inside a 1920 × 1080 px frame is 1440 px wide (1080 × 4 ÷ 3), which leaves 240 px of black on each side. Enter Width 1440 and Height 1080, then X 240 and Y 0.
Bars top and bottom. A 2.39:1 film inside 1920 × 1080 px is about 803 px tall (1920 ÷ 2.39), so each bar is roughly 138 px. Enter Width 1920 and Height 800, then X 0 and Y 140. As a rule of thumb, cutting 1–2 px into the picture removes the thin grey line that compression often leaves along the edge of a bar.
If the borders change size during the clip, fit the box inside the smallest picture area. Otherwise the bars come back in some scenes.
Quality, file size and output resolution
Every frame gets new dimensions, so the video is always re-encoded. MP4, MOV and M4V files are encoded to H.264 at CRF 22 with the widely supported yuv420p pixel format and fast start, which lets playback begin before the download finishes. CRF 22 is slightly higher quality than the encoder's default of 23; losses show first in dark scenes and fine textures. MKV files are also encoded to H.264 with the encoder's default settings, and WebM files to VP9.
AVI, MPEG and OGV files stay in their format and are encoded to MPEG-4 Part 2, MPEG-1 and Theora, with a quality setting matched to the resolution. Re-encoding can change fine textures; compare the result with the source at the same playback size. For the widest compatibility, Video to MP4 turns the cropped file into an MP4.
The result is exactly Width × Height px; nothing is scaled. If a platform needs a fixed size such as 1080 × 1920 px, scale the cropped file with Resize Video. Enlarging a small crop makes it bigger but adds no detail.
Formats and limits
- Input formats
- MP4, MOV, M4V, MKV, WebM, AVI, MPEG/MPG, OGV
- Output format
- Same container as the upload: an MP4 stays MP4, a MOV stays MOV
- Video encoding
- MP4, MOV, M4V: H.264 at CRF 22. MKV: H.264. WebM: VP9. AVI: MPEG-4 Part 2. MPEG: MPEG-1. OGV: Theora
- Output size
- Exactly the crop box in px, without scaling
- Maximum file size
- 200 MB per video
- Files per job
- 1
- Audio
- Copied without re-encoding, all audio tracks included
- Processing
- On our servers with FFmpeg; no AI service is involved. A job can run for up to 15 minutes.
- Watermark
- None
- Storage
- Uploads and results are deleted automatically after 48 hours for guests and after 30 days for free accounts. Paid plans can keep files longer.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the cropped video larger than the original?
Because it is re-encoded, and CRF 22 for MP4, MOV and M4V favours quality over size. If the source was already heavily compressed, for example a clip saved from social media or an H.265 phone recording, the result can be larger even though it has fewer pixels. Compress Video can shrink it afterwards.
How do I crop a landscape video to vertical 9:16?
Click 9:16; on a 1920 × 1080 px source that gives a 454 × 810 px box. For the full height, type 1080 into Height or drag a corner handle outward until it shows 1080: with 9:16 selected, Width follows to about 608. Then move the box over the subject: X can run from 0 to 1312, and 656 centres it.
Can I crop portrait videos from my phone?
Yes. Phones often store an upright clip sideways and add a rotation flag that players follow. This tool follows that flag too: the preview, the size line (for example 1080x1920px) and the crop box all show the clip upright, and the result is saved upright with exactly the area you selected.
Does cropping change the length or the sound?
No. The whole clip is kept from start to end at the same frame rate, and the audio is copied without re-encoding. To shorten the clip, use Cut Video before or after cropping.
Can the crop box follow a moving subject?
No. The box has one fixed position for the entire video. If the subject moves across the frame, use a wider box, or split the footage into shorter clips and crop each one separately.
Is my video uploaded to a server?
Yes. Cropping runs on our servers with FFmpeg, and the video is not sent to any AI service. Uploads and results are deleted automatically after the storage period listed under Formats and limits.