Frustrating Aspect Ratio Issues
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Freddie Leatherbury
Simply put, I am trying to crop videos taken in 16:9 format into a 9:16 format for Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.
First, I made the video as normal (with the project aspect ratio still 16:9), individually cropping each clip to a 9:16 format and adding text overlays. I was very happy with how it turned out. I didn't realize until after completing and exporting that the black negative space was still on the sides of the video and it saved in the 16:9 format (I thought it might give me the option to be 9:19 at export).
I first tried going back into the project and just changing the whole project AR to 9:16. But that just shrinks the video and adds even more dead space (see the first attached image). Even if I go into each clip to individually crop it again, it's very meticulous and the snap-to lines aren't showing up, and it looks like it reduces the quality a lot (second attached image). But let's say I ultimately clip it to the way I want, when I go back to the main screen it inexplicably stretches the image in a way I didn't intend (third attached image).
My next thought was to take the fully exported video (that was in 16:9) and make a new project, setting that project to 9:16, and cropping the full video as necessary. Should be easy enough, right? Well, when I try to add the video, I get the message in the fourth attached image. I don't want to change the AR, so I click "no", and it gives me a similar massive dead space issue (fifth image). What if I try now cropping this fully-made video like I did all the previous videos? This should definitely work, and it looks promising (sixth image). But I press OK, and it goes back to the exact same thing as in the third image.
My last thought was just to re-make it from scratch, but I immediately ran into the same problem as the previous attempt when I tried to individually crop the videos.
What's even weirder is I sent the video to my iPhone, which has a native video cropping feature. I crop the saved video to 9:16, but I get a message saying it's unable to save my video. No other edit causes this problem. I tried uploading it to Instagram hoping it would auto-crop for me, but it just leaves a ton of negative space. I've been able to auto-crop every other Instagram Reel I've posted!
Theoretically, it should be extremely easy just to trim the sides off the video. Why, why, why is this so difficult for this video? What am I missing or doing wrong?
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Ralf Werner
I have the same issue. It is not you, it is the crappy software.
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VN800 Rider
I'm on 22.1.2605.0 Win 11.
Why don't you try the other way around. Start with a project AR of 9:16.
Insert your 16:9 clips onto the time line, re-size them (oversize them) to fill the 9:16 framing with the content you require. In effect you use a zoom in to fill the 9:16 AR framing. It also gives you the Export 9:16AR that you require.
However what it might do to visual acceptability and resolution will depend on the clip content and shooting resolution. Many folk now shoot in 4K or higher so that zooming/cropping still gives a satisfactory viewing experience.
Is that a potential solution?
Adrian
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Fishycomics
.Lets hope a Staff member can chime in and offer their Expertese like other companies
when apon opening must choose the AR (see photo 1) photo 2 you can also do it thereonce corretly done then its all adjustments like you are saying in the Export there are no 9:16 saying of the Render at all, and CYBERLINK should have added this in because if your window does not look like that it is not 16:9AR if asked
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Ralf Werner
Fishycomics Cyberlink staff does not chime in, because they do not care. As soon my license runs out I am switching to free DaVinci Resolve. There is no issue with this.
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Fishycomics
Ralf Werner I hear ya. I stopped using the PD24 when I bought Filmora 13 it is a lot simpler to do things I need to do. Resolve 19 is awesome but Free i limited with codecs good luck get started now I say.
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Ralf Werner
Fishycomics I just switched to DaVinci Resolve free version yesterday and cancelled the Cyberlink subscription. What a difference. DaVinci is very easy to learn and much, much more stable. Doing Shorts with it is done in 1 minute without any issues.