Same question about the aspect ration

To get rid of the black borders you could crop the the video in Photos for Mac. The most recent version of Photos allows us to change the aspect ratio of a video.

For example, opening a video clip in Photos in Edit mode: Then click the Crop tab and adjust the cropping rectangle to compose the scene layout - I use "freeform to find the best section and position:

Then repeat the "Edit" with the exact aspect ratio you want:

This way I can view my videos in Photos without black borders.

"You can actually do that in iMovie with the crop feature"

Rich, are you saying, you can actually remove the black, padded borders in iMovie by cropping them away? I assumed, iMovie will add the borders back, when we export the cropped video. Exporting from Photos will respect the aspect ratio of the cropping rectangle.

"Does the latest Photos app make any other editing features available for videos? Unfortunately, my Mac is too old to download the OS beyond Catalina."

I can use nearly all tools from the Adjustments tab in Photos for a video with the most recent system version. The only tool so far I had no luck with has been the red eye removal tool.

For example, for this clip the Red Eye Tool is disabled, but it is needed badly. However, I could add a vignette or any other of the adjustments for Photos.

Thanks, Léonie,

The video editing capability now included in the Photos app is just what I've been wanting.

"Rich, are you saying, you can actually remove the black, padded borders

in iMovie by cropping them away?"

Yes. And the black borders won't be added back by iMovie on export. Actually, I don't look at it so much as cropping out the black borders as cropping the video so that it displays in 16:9 and fills the screen without black bars. As with any cropping, the cropped out portion of the display would be elimated.

To take an extreme case, suppose one imported a vertical 9:16 iPhone video into iMovie and wanted it to display in 16:9 to fill the screen without black bars.

Use the Crop to Fill feature to make it fill the 16:9 screen.

And you would get this 16:9 diplay. :

Another way to do it is to crop the vertical clip in the media browser rather than the timeline.

When you drag the cropped clip into the timeline you would get the 16:9 display.

-- Rich

Yes, you will end up in iMovie with a video in the 16:9 horizontal aspect ratio after you render the cropped clip as a video.  The rendered crop clip will be in 16:9 horizontal aspect as well. 

 Yes, as you say, exporting the video in 9:16 vertical from Photos will result in an exported video that QT will play in 9:16 without black bars.  If you import the exported movie into iMovie the black bars will show. 

If you export 9:16 from an iMovie project,  it will result in an exported video that QT will play in 9:16, but with black bars. However, if instead of a project you do a File/New App Preview from the projects browser, that will create a screen that looks exactly like a project, except with fewer titles and other options.  If you import a vertical 9:16 video into a New App Preview it will show the black bars on each side.  But when you export it, using the App Preview option in the share box, QT will play it in 16:9 without black bars. 

The share box looks a little different in Catalina and newer, but still has the App Preview share option.

-- Rich

This being a consumer forum of customers like yourself, we aren’t privy to the thinking behind Apple’s software and product decisions.

Granted it would be nice if iMovie 10 had a feature for adjusting aspect ratio, even though proably wide screen is the most popular shooting ratio.

— Rich

Hi, léonie,

Great that the Photos app has extended the aspect ratio crop editing feature to videos. Very useful. You can actually do that in iMovie with the crop feature. One might need to split the video at points, and readjust the crop, to account for the video’s constantly changing scenes.

Does the latest Photos app make any other editing features available for videos? Unfortunately, my Mac is too old to download the OS beyond Catalina.

— Rich

But you will still end up in iMovie with a video in the 16:9 aspect ratio, when you render the cropped clip as a video, right? From Photos I can export the video in Portrait orientation and in Portrait aspect ratio, and QuickTime Player will play it as in a 9:16 window without black bars at the side.

The tools to adjust the perspective distortion, horizontally or vertically, are also working.

Sometimes it is very helpful, to be able to tilt a structure towards us.