Videos are cropped out to cut the unwanted bits so that the audience’s attention is rightfully captured. Sometimes you also want to crop the video to fit different streaming platforms. Regardless of the reason why you need to crop a video, the work needs to be seamless and effective while following a particular aspect ratio. Now, Mac users can crop usually crop their videos with iMovie, which is the free video editor that comes pre-installed in macOS.
Though iMovie is undoubtedly a great tool, there are instances when its features and usability might not suffice. So, for all those instances, you can try out four of these amazing free options to crop video online.
Cropping a Video Using iMovie
Any discussion about free video editors to use on Mac remains incomplete without a mention of iMovie. It lets you create videos using background, titles, transitions, texts, and so on. You can also share, adjust color, mute, stabilize, rotate, crop, and so on. But the cropping aspect ratio is limited to 16:9.
The pros:
- A free video editor with a range of editing tools
- Easy to follow the steps to crop any video
The cons:
- Limited availability of media sources for enhancing a video
- The cropping aspect ratio remains limited to 16:9
Steps to crop a video using iMovie:
Step 1: Run iMovie, drag and drop your video to the editor’s timeline
Step 2: Look for the cropping button and go to the option ‘crop to fill.’
Step 3: Crop your video by moving and resizing the adjustable frame
Step 4: After you are okay with the cropping result, apply the change by clicking on the ‘Crop to fill’ option
Step 5: Go to the ‘File’ option under the ‘Share’ menu (under ‘File’ on the taskbar) for saving the cropped video
Cropping videos on Mac without using iMovie
In case you do not have iMovie or the free video editor is unable to crop videos in the aspect ratio you want, you have other useful free options for cropping a video on Mac. Take a look at these three options that ensure you no longer have to depend solely on iMovie.
InVideo Online Video Editor
The intuitive online video cutter and editor offered by InVideo is an amazing tool to design professional-looking videos in no time. It comes loaded with features, and you will get an expansive library of tools, stickers, templates, filters, and more. If the lack of media options was your issue with iMovie, InVideo would not leave you with any such complaints. Moreover, the ratios and editing tools offered by InVideo make the videos compatible with all social media platforms, right from Facebook to Twitter.
The pros:
- A free editor with a range of video editing tools
- The tools are compatible with all social media platforms
- It comes with an expansive library of tools, stickers, templates, filters, and more
The cons:
- The free version leaves a small watermark in the video. However, you can easily remove it by subscribing to InVideo for a minimum sum.
Steps to crop a video using InVideo Online Video Editor:
Step 1: Create your account and log in to the free online video editor of InVideo
Step 2: Upload your video or create one using the platform’s templates
Step 3: Click on ‘Layers’ on the top-right corner and choose the layer you want to crop
Step 4: Go to the ‘Video Edit’ drop-down menu and click on ‘Crop Frame.’
Step 5: Now, drag the edges of the frame and choose between aspect ratios 1:1, 16:9, and 9:16
Step 6: Click on the play button and check how the video will look on applying the changes.
Step 7: Apply the changes if you are satisfied with the preview
QuickTime Player
You might be thinking that QuickTime Player is a media player on the macOS, so what has it got to do with video crop online? Well, QuickTime Player lets you record a part of your screen too. So, you can crop a video with the wanted aspect ratio simply by recording. But you will have to let go of the audio if you are planning to crop the video with QuickTime Player. Of course, you can make it work by cropping the video and adding a new audio track to it.
The pros
- A free video editor that doubles up as a media player
- Crop videos with your preferred aspect ratio
- Record and play videos at ease
The cons
- You need to record the video to crop it, making the process time-consuming.
- You will not get to keep any sounds in your cropped video
Steps to crop a video using QuickTime Player:
Step 1: Play the video and pause at your desired part
Step 2: Run the QuickTime Player app on Mac
Step 3: Click on the recording option under the ‘New Screen Recording’ in the drop-down list from ‘File.’
Step 4: Drag to get a part of the video recording
Step 5: Play your video by clicking on ‘Start Recording.’
Step 6: After the video plays out, hit the ‘Recording’ option and save your cropped video.
KAPWING
KAPWING is another useful online free video editor that not only lets you crop your videos but also enhances them through images, audio, texts, and subtitles. This video editor offers a number of aspect ratios like 1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 1:2.4, 4:5, 5:4, and 820:312. You can save your video in 720P or 1080P.
The pros
- A free editor with a range of video editing tools
- Crop videos in different aspect ratios
The cons
- It takes a lot of time to upload and process videos
- Risk of information leakage
Steps to crop a video using KAPWING:
Step 1: Sign in to Kapwing by navigating to it
Step 2: Upload your video to the platform
Step 3: Hit ‘Crop’ and select a ratio
Step 4: Click on ‘Done Cropping’ and ‘Export Video’
Step 5: Download and save the video
The Endnote
And that’s it! You no longer need to rely only on iMovies. You have three more useful options that you can look into if the features and aspect ratios of iMovies do not fulfill your requirements.
Questions?
Drop us a comment and let us know.