Crop

Crop allows you to define a specific area of a video frame by adjusting its size, position, rotation, and transparency. This enables you to crop or highlight specific parts of the video, and you can even create animated effects by using keyframes to change the settings over the course of the video.

You can apply the Crop OFX plug-in at all the same places you can apply any OFX Plug-in; Media level, Project, Track or Event. To take advantage of the Preview Window interacts it is best applied at the Track or Event level. In this example, we’ll add it to a specific event.

1. With at least one event on the timeline, open the Video FX window.
2. Expand the OFX folder.
3. Choose Crop.
4. Drag and drop the default preset on the event. You now see the Video Event FX window as well as the interacts in the Video Preview window.
   1. The interact controls include four crop handles; Left, Top, Right, Bottom. Once you drag one of these handles, the handle opposite it becomes the anchor point. e.g., if you drag the right handle the left handle becomes the anchor point. The anchor point has a black dot in the middle of the handle icon.
5. To crop off a portion of the image, click and drag a crop handle toward the center. e.g., to crop off the left side of the image, drag the left crop handle toward the center.
6. To crop using the Video FX window:
   1. Click the Anchor Point drop-down arrow and choose an anchor point.
   2. Use the X Crop or Y Crop slider or enter a specific value in the X or Y text box to set the crop.
7. To change the location of the cropped area using the Video Preview interact, click and drag the selection area to a new position.
8. To change the Location using the Video FX window, type a new value into the Location text box. Or, click the arrow next to Location in the Video FX window to expand the Location field and click and drag the location control.
9. To adjust the Angle using the Video Preview window, click and drag the circle inside the selection area.
10. To adjust the Angle using the Video FX window, enter a value in the angle text box, or drag the Angle slider.
11. To adjust Opacity, enter a number in the Opacity text box in the Video FX window or drag the Opacity slider.

TIP If you want to create an animated crop, use the keyframe controller at the bottom of the Video Event FX window to establish distinct settings throughout the duration of the event. To access the keyframe controller click the animate button associated with the parameter you want to animate. For more information, see "Keyframe animation". Because the parameters are so dependent on each other it is important to have animation turned on for ALL the parameters before you start to animate a crop.