How to Crop Video in Premiere Pro (3 Easy Steps)

Trying to crop a video clip in Premiere Pro? Whether you're cutting out unwanted edges or reframing your shot for social media, cropping is super handy once you know where to look.

The trick is using the Crop effect from the Effects panel. It’s not immediately obvious, but once you know where it is, it’s really simple.

Here’s how to do it.

1. Add your clip to the timeline

First things first, drag your video clip onto the timeline. If you're starting from scratch:

1. Open a new project
2. Import your footage (File > Import or just drag it into the Project panel)
3. Drag it into a sequence

Now you're ready to crop.

2. Apply the Crop effect

This is where most people get stuck because there's no obvious "Crop Tool" like you'd expect.

1. Go to the Effects panel (usually on the right side)
2. Search for Crop
3. Drag the Crop effect onto your clip in the timeline

Nothing will happen right away, but don’t worry, that’s normal.

3. Adjust crop settings in Effect Controls

Now head over to the Effect Controls panel (top left by default).

You’ll see “Crop” listed under your clip’s effects. Here’s what to do:

1. Adjust Left, Right, Top, and Bottom percentages until you’re happy with the framing
2. If needed, check “Zoom” to automatically scale up and fill the frame
3. You can also keyframe these values if you want animated cropping

That’s it! Your video is now cropped exactly how you want it.

New in Premiere Pro 2025: Faster cropping workflow

If you're using Premiere Pro 2025, Adobe made cropping way easier. Instead of hunting through the Effects panel, you can crop directly in the Properties panel.

Here's the faster way:

1. Select your clip in the timeline
2. Look for the Crop section in the Properties panel (should be visible by default)
3. Adjust Left, Right, Top, Bottom values right there
4. Done. No need to search for effects

Cropping vs. changing aspect ratio

Here's something that trips people up: cropping and changing aspect ratios aren't the same thing.

Cropping removes parts of your existing video frame. Think of it like trimming the edges off a photo.

Changing aspect ratio creates a completely new frame shape. You're going from, say, a wide rectangle to a tall rectangle or square.

Let's say you shot a wide cinematic video (like 2.35:1) but want to show it on a regular TV (16:9). You have a few options:

• Add black bars (letterboxing) to fit the whole image
• Crop the sides to fill the screen
• Use Premiere's Auto Reframe feature to intelligently reposition everything

For social media, Auto Reframe is really handy. It uses AI to figure out what's important in your shot and keeps that centered when you change to different shapes.

Quick social media sizes:

• YouTube regular videos: 16:9 (like 1920x1080)
• YouTube Shorts/Instagram Reels/TikTok: 9:16 (like 1080x1920)
• Instagram posts: 1:1 square (like 1080x1080) or 4:5 portrait
• Facebook posts: Usually 1:1 square works best

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I resize a video on Premiere Pro?

To resize a video:

1. Select your clip in the timeline
2. Go to Effect Controls
3. Under "Motion," adjust Scale
   You can also click and drag directly in the Program Monitor if you prefer working visually.

How do I crop part of a video?

Use the Crop effect:

1. Search for "Crop" in Effects
2. Drag it onto your clip
3. In Effect Controls, adjust Left, Right, Top, or Bottom values
   This hides parts of your frame without trimming time from your clip.

How do I cut out parts of a video in Premiere Pro?

To cut out sections of time:

1. Use the Razor Tool (C) or press C on your keyboard
2. Click where you want to make cuts
3. Switch back to Selection Tool (V), select unwanted parts, then press Delete

How to change the aspect ratio in Premiere Pro?

To change aspect ratio:

1. Go to Sequence > Sequence Settings
2. Adjust Frame Size under Video settings

For example, set 1080x1920 for vertical video or 1920x1080 for widescreen. Make sure your clips are scaled properly afterward using Scale under Motion settings.

What's the difference between cropping and changing aspect ratio?

Cropping removes parts of your existing frame, while changing aspect ratio creates a completely new frame size. If you want to remove unwanted edges from your footage, use cropping. If you want to reformat your entire video for a different platform (like turning a horizontal video into a square one for Instagram), you'll want to change the aspect ratio and possibly use Auto Reframe to keep the important action in view.