Cropping odd size video to 16 : 9

[Peem]

I did a bit of a search about this but the closest I could find was something in 2006 which did not suggest a way.

With the project settings at 16:9 it is possible to insert photos of a different ratio and the customize pan and zoom will allow them to the cropped to 16:9.

I thought I had done the same thing with 4:3 video clips in a 16:9 project by using Video Pan & Zoom in the filters [and I tried the other crop filter as well], but maybe not, as when I tried to do this with a 1280x1040 AVI clip from a time lapse camera the only cropping box it would offer was in the same ratio as the clip. I also tried it with the same clip converted to mpeg, with the same result. You would think maybe six years later there might be a way to do this.

So my question really is – does anyone know of a way to crop a video clip to 16:9 in a 16:9 project in VS14?

Thanks, Peter

[Peem]

Well what do you know? I have just gone to the forum rather than use the search facility and only a few posts down Winifred asks the same question. I should mention that I am prepared to sacrifice some of the top and bottom of the odd size clip to fill the screen with the bit I consider important.

sheepish Peter

[aljimenez]

Your desire was recently explained very well under the (correct) title of resizing, which I think is what you want to do. Look for resizing to find the answer... Al

[Peem]

Thanks Al

I searched resizing as you suggested and while I admit I did not read all 514 posts I don’t think they were covering the question I’m asking. They seemed to be mostly about trimming photos.

What I want to do is crop a 1280 x1040 video clip to 16 to 9 ratio by trimming away either the top or bottom of the picture, so that it fits seamlessly into a 16:9 project. Essentially cropping to 1280x720.
I can do that with still images by using the custom pan and zoom, which automatically makes a crop box on the image in 16 to 9 ratio, however, when I use of the pan and zoom filter in FX it makes the crop box in the same ratio as the clip of a am trying to crop, not in the ratio of the project.

Winifred asked a very similar question on 19 Jan 2012 but most of those replies seemed to be about where the black areas would be. I am prepared to sacrifice some of the video picture in order to have a 16:9 video clip. I just cannot find a way to make the crop box the same ratio as the project.

Regards Peter

[BrianCee]

Have you tried the method given by Trevor Andrew in the 5th post down in this topic :- http://forum.corel.com/EN/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=44863

that does not leave any black borders - could you explain why that does not work for you

[lata]

Well what do you know? I have just gone to the forum rather than use the search facility and only a few posts down Winifred asks the same question. I should mention that I am prepared to sacrifice some of the top and bottom of the odd size clip to fill the screen with the bit I consider important.

sheepish Peter

Hi Peem
I was going to reply to your original post, but when you replied regarding Winifred, i assumed you were sorted and had read the post http://forum.corel.com/EN/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=44863


http://lata.me.uk/video_studio/16_9/16_9.htm
this was created using VS10 but is relevant for other versions of Video Studio

[Peem]

Thanks Brian and lata,

lata,

On page seven of the link you suggest selecting the attributes tab then distort. I am afraid in VS 14 I run into a problem there. The only place I can find a mention of attributes is by right clicking on the clip, which offers either copy or paste attributes.

Brian,

I couldn’t get Trevor’s method to work exactly along the lines he suggested but it did suggest a workflow that did produce a result.

With a 16:9 clip in the timeline, I inserted the odd size video to its right and made a copy of it into the overlay track below so it appeared as picture in picture, still in the odd size. A right click on it in the editing window and selecting ‘fit to screen’ stretched it horizontally, distorting it to fill the screen. Another right click and ‘keep aspect’ and the top and bottom of the clip disappeared outside the frame, giving me exactly what I wanted, but in the overlay track.

I was unsuccessful in copying these attributes to the original odd shaped clip in the timeline but I guess you could delete the original odd clip and insert a colour block in its place, so the modified clip in the overlay track played over the top of it.

In the mean while I had discovered another method of cropping the video to 16:9 in AVS Video Converter 7.1. Under one of the advanced tabs it has a slider for aspect correction.

So now I have 2 solutions. Cropping still images works so smoothly using the customize pan and zoom I thought there would also be a similar option for video clips.

Thanks, Peter

[lata]

Hi Peter

Place a clip in the timeline, click the clip to select it
Below the library you should see two tabs, if this space is empty click the Options button lower right.

Two tabs show Video and Attributes
Select Attributes Tab
Choose Distort
Right click screen to select Fit to screen
Or re-size by dragging the corner Yellow re-size handles.

When you are happy with the first clip.
Right click the clip on the timeline—select Copy attributes
Shift + Click last lip to select all
Right click and Paste Attributes.
Will apply the firsts clip effect to all.

[Peem]

Thanks Trevor

I had found and used the distort option in VS14 previously but sometimes I just become a bit blinkered when asked to go back to an earlier program.

Your instructions got me on the right track but I had to add a further step, by right clicking again on the window, after the fit to screen step, as it squashed the picture into 16:9 and made everyone fat. The extra step was ‘keep aspect ratio’.
This is a similar workflow to what I managed to do with the clip in the overlay track, explained above, but I did not seem to be able to copy and paste the attributes to a clip in the timeline. Your method achieves this.

Thanks again, Peter

[uncle peri]

I had to register just so I could thank lata for this explanation. I have searched the Corel users manual and then combed through this forum to the same frustrating end as the original poster. Then lata explained it so clearly in one simple paragraph. So much time wasted. I hope Corel can include this explanation in their users manual when one searches the words "crop" "resize" or "16:9".

Once again, THANK YOU LATA!!!

[lata]

Hi uncle peri

welcome to the forums

Sometimes as computer users the right mouse click can reveal options that we may miss.
Options that can be very useful. Try right clicking in other parts of the workstation.

Thank you very much for your kind words, it is always nice to receive positive feedback.

Hopefully your registration will prove useful and you will benefit from the forums.