To crop in Premiere Pro, select the clip in the timeline and open the Properties panel. Under Crop, set the percentage to remove from the top, bottom, left and right edges, then use Scale or Fill frame to enlarge the cropped picture. To reshape a whole video, such as horizontal to vertical, change the sequence size instead.
Cropping in Premiere Pro can mean two different things, and mixing them up is why people get frustrated. Sometimes you want to trim the edges off a clip, to remove a distracting door frame or a logo in the corner. Other times you want to change the shape of the whole video, such as turning a horizontal clip into a vertical Reel. Here's how to do both.
How to crop a clip in Premiere Pro, step by step
- Select the clip in the timeline.
- Open the Properties panel.
- Find the Crop settings for top, bottom, left and right.
- Increase a percentage to crop that edge. Watch the Program Monitor as you go.
- Use Scale to enlarge the cropped picture so it fills the frame, or click Fill frame.
- Adjust Position to reframe the shot.
Adobe's help pages describe the Properties panel as giving quick access to position, scale, rotation, opacity, cropping and speed, without hunting through several panels.
Crop vs Scale vs Fill frame
| Tool | What it does | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Crop | Removes pixels from the edges you choose | Hiding something at the edge of the shot |
| Scale | Makes the picture bigger or smaller | Zooming in after cropping |
| Fill frame | Scales the clip to fill the whole frame | Getting rid of black edges quickly |
| Fit to frame | Shows the whole clip inside the frame | Keeping everything visible, with black bars if needed |
The catch: Fill frame quietly crops your shot
Fill frame is tempting because it gets rid of black bars in one click. But Adobe explains that it scales the content to completely fill the frame, which can crop parts of the image if the clip's shape doesn't match your sequence. That's how people lose the top of someone's head or the edge of a product. Fit to frame does the opposite: it keeps the whole clip visible but may add black bars. After using either, play the clip through to check nothing important has gone.
How to make a horizontal video vertical
Cropping a clip doesn't change the shape of your video. The frame size comes from your sequence. To make a vertical version for Reels, TikTok or Stories:
- Create a new sequence with vertical frame settings, or duplicate your existing sequence and change its frame size.
- Put your horizontal clips into it.
- Use Scale and Position in the Properties panel to frame the important part of each shot.
- Check each clip, because the best framing changes from shot to shot.
Film with vertical in mind if you can, by keeping your subject in the middle of the frame. It makes reframing much easier later.
Cropping several clips at once
You can select multiple clips and adjust them together in the Properties panel. Adobe notes that the panel shows the shared value when settings match, or a dash when they're different. It's a quick way to apply the same crop to every clip from one camera angle.
Cropping and quality
Every crop zooms in on the picture, and zooming makes it softer. If you crop a lot of a clip away and then scale it up, it can look blurry. Shoot in a higher resolution than your final video when you know you'll need to crop, so you have pixels to spare.
Creative uses of cropping
- Letterbox bars at the top and bottom for a cinematic look.
- A split screen, with each clip cropped to half the frame.
- Picture-in-picture, with a small cropped face-cam in a corner of a screen recording.
- Hiding a timestamp or watermark you're allowed to remove from your own footage.
Picture-in-picture is a lovely format for tutorials, and my picks for screen recording software will help you capture the screen side.
A quick cropping workflow
- Finish your edit first, so you aren't cropping clips you'll cut later.
- Crop the clips that need it, starting with the most obvious problem shots.
- Scale them back up so every clip fills the frame consistently.
- Play the whole video through at full screen to spot anything you've cut off by mistake.
- Export a test version and watch it on your phone before the final export.
It sounds slow, but it's quicker than going back and recropping clips after you've added titles and music on top of them.
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My verdict
To crop a clip, use the Crop settings in the Properties panel, then Scale or Fill frame to fill the frame again. To change the whole video's shape, change the sequence frame size rather than cropping. Use Fill frame with care, because it can quietly cut off part of your shot. For more on making short videos that work on social, see my guide to effective short videos.
Frequently asked questions
Does cropping in Premiere delete footage?
No. Cropping hides the edges in your sequence. The original clip is untouched, so you can reduce the crop at any time.
Where is the crop tool in Premiere Pro?
Select the clip and open the Properties panel, where you'll find Crop settings for each edge.
How do I crop a video to vertical in Premiere Pro?
Change the sequence frame size to vertical, then use Scale and Position to frame each clip.
What is the difference between Fill frame and Fit to frame?
Fill frame fills the frame and may crop the image. Fit to frame shows the whole clip and may add black bars.
Can I crop several clips at once in Premiere?
Yes. Select them together and adjust the values in the Properties panel.
Why does my cropped video look blurry?
Cropping and scaling up zooms in on fewer pixels. Shoot at a higher resolution if you need to crop.
How do I remove black bars in Premiere Pro?
Use Fill frame or increase Scale, then check nothing important has been cut off.
