Cropping Video Size

Question

Level 1

36 points

Cropping Video Size

I have some video files that I have shot that I need to crop into the subject and get rid of the "garbage" around the subject. How do I "crop" like an image with video in quicktime? If my video size was lets say 467x264 and I needed to "trim" off the edges of the video to clean it up and lets say that the trimmed part of the video that I want to keep was 400x220 for example, how would I do that? I don't want to shrink down the size or take it out of proportion. I hope I am making sense. In the photo world we just select what we want and delete the rest. Is that possible to do in quicktime or do I need some higher end program like Final Cut or Premier?

Thanks

Mac OS X (10.4.2)

Posted on Feb 13, 2008 9:54 PM

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Answer 1

Feb 13, 2008 10:44 PM in response to Rack

Quicktime 7 can't crop...

You can use Mpeg-Stream to crop the video and it's free.

http://www.squared5.com/

You'll have to export the video after doing what you want to do. The program has a guide so your not completely in the dark.

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Answer 2

Feb 14, 2008 6:02 AM in response to Rack

You can add a "mask" using QuickTime Pro. The mask is a simple black and white image file.
Size it to your movie dimensions and make it all black. Make a "box" sized 400X200 where you want the video to show and fill it with white.
Add the mask using the Movie Properties window and Save As to make a new file.
No export or transcoding required.

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Answer 3

Rack Author

Level 1

36 points

Feb 14, 2008 1:09 PM in response to QuickTimeKirk

Thanks for the info, I will try the two suggestions. Kirk, I have seen your explanation before in another thread of your mask but I don't understand that as I have tried. For us less fortunate, would you mind giving me some more "steps" or how to on that?

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Answer 4

Feb 14, 2008 2:22 PM in response to Rack

Use an image editing application to make the black and white image (sized as above).
Open your file in QuickTime Pro, open the Movie Properties window Visual Settings tab and add your mask.
Save As to make a new file.

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Answer 5

Rack Author

Level 1

36 points

Feb 14, 2008 6:14 PM in response to QuickTimeKirk

Thanks Kirk. While you are feeling inspired, can you tell me what and when the Quicktime problems will be resolved? I am talking about the new 7.4. I can't play half my videos anymore nor on many other sites. I have 15 macs and only two play videos on the web with consistency. I get video without sound and visa/versa. I have watched the threads but nothing is solving the real issues now and wonder if you know what I can do to get videos to play again.

Thanks

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Answer 6

Feb 15, 2008 4:56 AM in response to Rack

I don't have any problems playing properly encoded QuickTime formats and little trouble with things like AVI, DivX and other third party containers.
The troubles I've seen posted here have nearly always involved some "third party" conversion to QuickTime formats and that third party software should resolve their issues (not QuickTime).
When QuickTime software may be to blame I've seen Apple quickly offer updates and fixes (After Effects).
Before I can offer any "fix" I need to know more about files that give you troubles. Post a few URL's for Web based files. Tell me more about your "local" files. Use the Movie Inspector window to view the format and codecs used. Some "legacy" codecs have been disabled and a few mouse clicks can turn them back on.
All of the recent updates to QuickTime have involved security concerns. Even ancient codecs like Sorenson 3 have this potential and this is why they are now disabled by default.

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Answer 7

Rack Author

Level 1

36 points

Feb 15, 2008 11:01 AM in response to QuickTimeKirk

Kirk,

Let me start off with how they are created and then I can give you some URL links if you think that it could still be a problem.

This is how I do all of my exports. Tell me if I am doing anything non-apple-quicktime-standard. Exporting straight out of quicktime pro.
H264, 29.97 fps, 150 keyframes and 600 data rate. High Quality compressor. Size is 720x480 4:3 NTSC

It seems pretty basic and all of our files played on our test site just find until the quicktime update. When we play it on a windows machine it tells me that I need to install other software and then usually locks up the browser.

I can play all the files just fine on my big desktop mac and on my macbook pro, but no sound out of the imacs and problems on the windows side.

What other details can I give you to help with this?

Thanks and don't give up on me yet . . .

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Answer 8

Feb 15, 2008 1:12 PM in response to Rack

What version of QT are you using on the Windows box?

The message that says something like, "Additional software is required to view this movie, unfortunately it isn't available on the QuickTime server" (not the exact message text, but something like that) is a dead giveaway that you are trying to view an H.264 clip with QuickTime 6.x instead of QuickTime 7.

Your solution is to do one of the following:

1) Re-encode the clip to MPEG-4 (can be viewed by QuickTime 6.3 or later)
2) Re-encode the clip to some ancient codec such as Sorensen 3 (can be viewed by QuickTime 2.x-7.3; 7.4 needs to have the "legacy codecs" enabled)
3) Update the Windows box to QuickTime 7

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

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Answer 9

Rack Author

Level 1

36 points

Feb 15, 2008 2:21 PM in response to Dave Althoff

My windows is a new Vista laptop and has quicktime version 7.4.1 on it. This computer played the files just fine before the upgrade. Does this sound like something in our programming side?

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Answer 10

Rack Author

Level 1

36 points

Feb 19, 2008 7:15 PM in response to Rack

Now all the videos that were created prior 7.4 still play find on the imacs and the windows machines with sound and video, but the videos created since 7.4 don't have sound on several machines except for the three machines I stated above.

Here is a URL to one of the videos for you to test to see what I might be doing wrong. The machines are pretty basic and set up mainly stock, no fancy boards or other things installed on them

http://www.xbandits.com/video_files/xtv/clips/Northamericanbiggame5.mov

http://www.xbandits.com/video_files/xtv/clips/PrimalTV.mov

http://www.xbandits.com/video_files/xtv/clips/incredibullbucks1a.mov

These three files are samples of files that don't play sound on most of our test computers and the windows machines. My programmer is scratching her head on this one as we are all baffled.

Here is one that does play on all the computers and was created prior 7.4, but with the exact same settings. H264.
http://www.xbandits.com/video_files/xtv/clips/Zing1.mov

Any help from someone would be most helpful.

Thanks

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Answer 11

Feb 20, 2008 4:27 AM in response to Rack

All of the three above show the audio codec as MPEG-4 low delay AAC. They play fine for me when opened directly in the QuickTime Player. The last is AAC and also works.
I would avoid MPEG-4 low delay AAC audio.

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Answer 12

Rack Author

Level 1

36 points

Feb 20, 2008 8:16 AM in response to Rack

Kirk,

Thank you, maybe we are getting somewhere now. I must have changed audio settings somewhere. What audio settings do you suggest then so that I wouldn't run into these problems on any computer? Also, ,why would it play audio on some machines and others it won't?

Rob

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Answer 13

Rack Author

Level 1

36 points

Feb 20, 2008 8:35 AM in response to Rack

I went in and looked at all my videos, thousands of them, and they are all encoded in the mpeg 4 format. What can I do now? Do I have to re encode every single video? That would take months beyond months. Is there something we can do on the programming side to fix this to allow it to play?

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