How to Crop a Video Using VLC: Permanently & Alternative Way

Patricia Rapatalo .
Looking for effective ways to crop videos with VLC? Find all the details you must know as we cover how VLC crop video works. Even if you are using Windows, Mac, or Linux computers, you can quickly crop a video with VLC with the tutorial we prepared. As an extra tip, we will show you how you can crop your videos in a more advanced way with additional editing features.
vlc crop video
Navigation of Contents

Cropping is a great way of eliminating unwanted borders to your videos and photos. It is a technique that is mostly used in highlighting only the most essential parts of the video. You can use software like VLC Media Player to crop your videos. VLC Media Player is a widely utilized video and audio player worldwide, supporting all popular formats. Many users need to be made aware that VLC can be used to complete basic video editing, including cropping, rotating, converting, rotating, and more. However, for new users who don’t know how these features work, you need a guide to get everything done effortlessly. That way, you can save time cropping your videos in VLC. Furthermore, check out the following parts if you want to crop a video on VLC and its best alternative.


How to Crop Video with VLC Media Player

As a free and cross-platform software, VLC is compatible with many devices, like computers, tablets, laptops, smartphones, and more. To crop video using VLC, you must go to its official website and get the correct installer version on your device. After that, take the following steps to crop your videos with VLC and save them to your computer for a hassle-free viewing experience.

User guide:

  • Open the downloaded VLC app on your computer and move to the “Tools” menu at the upper-left corner of the tool. Select “Preferences” from the options, and a new settings window will appear. Move to the bottom part of the window and tick the “All” option.
  • Afterward, scroll down until you see the “Video” menu. Double-click the “Croppadd” button, hit “Filters,” and type the specific pixels to crop with VLC from the top/bottom or left/right. Then, hit the “Save” button and move to the next step.

hit all, select video and filters, select croppadd, adjust pixels and click save

  • Now, you will be taken to the main interface of VLC. Here, hit the “Media” menu and select the “Convert/Save” button to add the video you want to crop. After that, choose the “Convert” option from the drop-down menu.
  • In the new window, hit the “wrench” icon, click “Video Codec tab,” and tick “Video Cropping Filter” beneath the “Filters” tab. Once done, click the “Save” button to apply it. Finally, hit the “Browse” button to choose the output destination. Then, hit the “Start” button to keep the cropped video on your device.

hit wrench icon, click video codec and tick filter, hit video cropping and save


How to Crop Video Clips with Video Editor

We have to admit cropping a video in VLC is pretty complicated. If you miss only one step, you must start all over again, which is time-consuming. So, if you are looking for a quick yet advanced alternative to the VLC Media Player crop video feature, you can use a video editor. That said, we recommend Video Editor Pro, which can help you to crop video Windows 10 and Mac in a few steps compared to VLC. Its cropping features allow you to customize the aspect ratio of the video. You can crop the video on any side by adjusting the tool’s cropping area. Besides, this tool contains features that you can use to make your video look professional. Check them below to know more. Afterward, proceed to the tutorial to start cropping your videos with Video Editor Pro.

Key Features:

  • It allows you to add filters, overlays, transitions, and other effects to your video to create eye-catching and exciting videos.
  • The tool lets you overlay a voice narration to your video by directly recording your voice through an external microphone.
  • You can use the tool as a screen recorder to capture your on-screen activities and edit them afterward before saving.
Free Download
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
Free Download
For macOS 10.12 or later
Secure Download

Step 1Install the Crop Video on VLC Alternative

The first step is installing the Video Editor Pro by getting the compatible installer above for your computer. After that, come after the direction from the wizard prompt to ultimately get the software. When you’ve got the video editor, start it and check its main interface. See the image below to scan if you’ve installed the right software.

video editor pro main interface

Step 2Import the Video You Want to Crop

Next, double-click the upper-left side of the tool to add the video file you want to crop. You can also hit the “Import” button to add a single file or an entire video folder. Let the software analyze your video. Once done, you can check the video on the media tab.

double click to import video, hit import button to import file or folder

Step 3Begin to Crop Video

Place the imported video on the timeline through the drag-and-drop process. Then, the timeline will show the video's timeframe in detail. Click the video and move to the essential editing equipment of the tool. Select the “Crop” icon to access the cropping window and adjust the borders to your preferred ratio. You can check the outcome on the preview monitor. Afterward, hit the “OK” button to apply it.

click video and crop icon, crop video and preview it, hit ok

Step 4Render and Save the Cropped Video

Then, move to the left side of the tool if you want to edit your video before exporting it. You can add music, text, filters, and more. This is optional, and you can directly export the cropped video depending on your liking. To do so, hit the “Export” button on the top-left corner of the tool. After that, rename the video, and select the output folder, format, and quality. Finally, click the “Export” button to render and save the cropped video.

edit video, click export, adjust settings and hit export

Step 5Play and Check the Cropped Video

Open the output folder that you set and locate the cropped video. Double-hit the file to play it on your computer’s video player. The video is now cropped to the ratio you chose in the previous step, as seen in the image beneath. There’s no need to crop video in VLC Media Player; that has many settings set up as long as you have the Video Editor Pro.

double-click video and play it


Conclusion

The process of exploring various options would help you make the final decision. VLC and Video Editor Pro have unique features that can help you crop videos. However, even if VLC can play many mainstream videos and supports basic editing features, it is still not the recommended tool that completes all video editing demands. If you want to crop a video using VLC, you need to memorize the proper sequence of the process, which is a lot. Compared with Video Editor Pro, it will only take a few steps to crop your videos with many options to enhance them. So if you want a more direct and effortless tool to crop video, Video Editor Pro is more recommended for you!


Learn More About

Support
Back Up