Croppping A Video? Not Today!

[bill in pa]

I am in need of a real “Guru” in Video Studio Ultimate 2018!
This Guru needs to have the patience “Job”!

For the past 7 weeks I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to crop an
entire 2 hour video at one time. The reason for the large crop is
because these videos were all captured using the “live screen capture”
tool from within the program and I want to crop out the sys tray and
clock from the bottom of the screen, as well as the Internet top of
screen.

Whatever I am doing, it is complete wrong. I sometimes get the cropping
tool from the left up or the crop tool from the right FX/crop up but even
when I do get the orange crop tool screen around the video in question,
I cannot save it and then re-play the video with the crop in place and
discarded material out.

If anyone can help me or give me a push in the right direction, or off a
cliff, I would appreciate it. I have so far been reading our message
board here as well as using YouTube but I cannot find exactly what I need,
Step by Step instructions! Is it possible to use the program and
actually become dumber with it instead of more proficient? I’m starting to
think that I must be “twins”!!! It’s impossible for one person to be this dumb!

As Always, thank you for any help offered,

bill in pa

[weaver]

There are 3 options.
1. I will simple create a frame what will cover the bottom and the top parts. You can draw such a frame with Corel draw etc.
2. Put the whole video on the top timeline track. Select the crop FX, adjust it for both ends: Wide 100%, Heigth|Cca 90%
This will cut off the top and the bottom part of the video. In my system the cutoff part is gray

3. Method is as above, but instead of Crop FX use the Zoom FX. In manual adjustment click off the left box, just the zoom effects remains active. Bellow adjust the zoom scale to cca 110% check the another end of the clip as well ( same zoom factor). This effect will enlarge the video by about 10% also in horizontal direction, that means you will loose also something on left and right sides.

Good luck!

[BJC]

It sounds to me as though you are using the wrong tool Bill

put the video in the top timeline and put the FX Cropping (not crop) on it ... double click on the video .. this will open the options panel, click on "Customise Filter" this will open the crop tool window

in the bottom left corner adjust the height and width settings to get what you want to see in the right hand window .. if you need to move the crop area hover the mouse cursor over the cross in the centre of the dotted area in the left window it will change to a hand .. click and hold and slide the mouse to move watch the right window

untick the 'Fill color' box .. this will make the cropped area fill the screen which may distort the video vertically slightly . if that is unacceptable then leave the box ticked but you will then have black areas top and bottom of your final screen .. OR if you don't want them black choose one of the prominent colors from your video by using the little 'eye dropper' tool whih is ever present in the left crop tool window

and it is important that you set all keyframes the same or else the cropped area will change throughout the length of the video .. to do that Right click on the small red diamond at the left end of the crop tool timeline which is immediately under the two viewing screens ... from the pop-out choose "copy and paste to all"

now click 'OK' in the bottom right corner of the crop tool window and you will return to the Videostudio main screen with your cropped video showing

you can do this to the complete video first then when you return to the edit screen you can cut and remove sections if you wish and keep the crop

typical view of the crop tool window

[bill in pa]

Hi BJC,

Like the man says, no good deed goes unpunished!
I tried but as you can see from the attached my program has
Other names for things. It is Ultimate 2018

Thanks for trying to help me. I do appreciate your giving of
Your time.

Bill in pa
db1433@gmail.com

[BJC]

Well I would still use FX Cropping .. it's the way that always works for me .. FX Cropping is on your computer in Videostudio in the FX library ... but if you want to use Easycrop then I cannot help you will have to wait for someone who does use that

but part of your problem appears to me to be that you have applied Easycrop 4 times and they are competing with each other .. delete all but one by selecting it in the box and clicking on the 'X' on the right hand side .. or start again from scratch by starting a new project in a blank copy of Videostudio and only applying one filter

[bill in pa]

Check on the crop 4 times but I was trying to
get to that box where you unchecked it and that will remove the background
and then the screen should only have your cropped video, assuming you
did every else right??? Those boxes just got full from my tries. In my case it appears that the only hope I have of hitting that screen, is by complete accident! In all, I have counted three
crop tools. One underneath the left hand screen in a little check box.

It would appear that the other two are located in FX, one is cropping and the other
is called cropping boarders. Actually this tool is the one I really would use as the
videos are fine as is, except for the boarding I mentioned earlier.

I really can’t see any change in not doing things your way. At this point in time
I can’t see differences but of course there must be differences or they would not
be offering three different tools. Of course, I’m sure that each has their own merit.
For me, cropping these videos down so it doesn’t look like they all have
headers and footers!

So if you can help and turn on a few lights I would be in you’re debt,

bill in pa

[tletter]

I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to crop an entire 2 hour video at one time.

Your profile lists Corel programs as Corel VS, i.e. no version listed. Do you have VideoStudio Ultimate 2018 21.4.0.165? If so it's odd that you have a filter named EasyCrop as my VS2018 does not have that filter, rather it has a filter called Cropping and Crop Borders. In any event, adding four identical filters to a clip is not generally recommended.

As mentioned by others, the Cropping filter should do what you want.

tletter
https://www.youtube.com/user/tletter

[bill in pa]

Yes, that the program I have but not the download, a went for
the DVD install disk…………………………….thinking it would
save on Net download time???? Never happened! Its close
to the same. Difference? Yes, it downloads without you putting in
the address! You live and learn. I use to think coming up that as
you got older you got smarter………………...that didn’t happen either!

Nice to met you and thank you for taking the time from your busy day to
answer my query,

bill in pa

[BJC]

So are you saying that you do not have a filter in the FX library called FX Cropping

if you open Videostudio and select the FX library and make sure that the little drop down box at the top left corner of it is showing "All" do you not see the full range as I have shown in my previous post above ... it is standard in Videostudio, whatever version you have , it has been included for a number of the latest versions , it does not matter whether you installed from download or DVD

If you can see that filter then why not use it following the procedure my first post above , but DO NOT open your existing project , instead just open Videostudio and insert your whole video to the timeline from your hard drive , that will ensure a clean video with no filters applied

then drag the FX Cropping filter down onto the video JUST ONCE and follow my procedure


when you apply an FX multiple times as you appear to have done with your 'Easycrop' each and every one of them will have an affect and if you only customise one instance the others will still show their own thing on your video

what you want to do is really very easy Bill but you seem to have turned it into a nightmare , start again from the beginning with a new opening of Videostudio and a new import of your video , remember Videostudio does not affect the original at all so by restarting you will have a clean video

[bill in pa]

Thank You to Weaver, tletter and of course, BJC. It took four
weeks and three days and your help but the video is completed but
with a few rough spots. I had a problem with the audio strobing,
going, high low rapidly which I did mange to cure.

As for the cropping itself, I think some practrice on my part is now
is in order. The project was the new movie, The Highwaymen. There was heavy bars on the top and bottom, with
just a bit on the sides. I did what I thought, looked good in preview but
not so well burned to disk. The problem now is not our program but
my own inaptness at the use of it.

Thanks to BJC, I now have the tools necessary, I just have to work with them
more and get some experience. The black lines (not bars) showed just
slightly because I did not crop closely enough again, experience!

Thanks again one and all,

bill in pa

[Pepi]

Just out of the curiosity, did you tried to use Pan&Zoom? That should not be too hard if your video window is static, and even so, manual tuning can fix that.

[bill in pa]

Hi Pepi,


I played a bit with it this morning. After JBC took time to
literally write each step out for me I have been cropping anything
in house! I wanted to be sure that the knowldedge was locked and
properly filed in the “old brain housing assembly.”

Corel does write some good programs but getting that information into
their customers hands is often a bit rough. Many years ago when I first
came to this group I was told that the Admin people here are volunteers and
I have yet to hear differently. With that said I can say they do a tremendous job
and that’s putting in lightly!

With out this message board, I don’t think that Corel would have the sales
volume they enjoy today. I have never submitted any cry for help and been ignored. Thats a another thing too, the speed that they answer questions, amazing! Many people that
are very experienced users share their knowledge with us rookies. Just a great
bunch of folks!

Thank you for answering my request, it was nice to me you,

bill in pa

[Ken Berry]

Many years ago when I first came to this group I was told that the Admin people here are volunteers and
I have yet to hear differently.

Still true!

[bill in pa]

Hi Ken,

Always good hearing from you! I have been saved yet again!
Sometimes I think VS has it in for me! They do seem to run
the gauntlet by the manner that they present some tools. I would
like to see more on their demo videos. Doing what you folks do
is one of the most difficult things imaginable, trying to help someone
you don’t even know, my hats off to everyone of you and of course,
Thanks for being there!

Bill in pa

[Ken Berry]