I have recorded a 1920x1080 video, it looks like the follows in imovie:
I want to crop the left half side of the screen. But when I click on crop, it always keeps ratio.
In Final Cut Pro, it is the same.
I just cannot understand why it is so difficult to crop a different ratio.
Could anyone help?
In PremierePro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut X or any other decent NLE, create a sequence that has the ratio you're looking for, such as 1:1, or 4:3, or whatever you want your final video to have. So it could be 720×720 for a 1:1 ratio, for instance, or 720×1080, etc.
See Aspect Ratio Calculator.
Import your 1920×1080 (16:9 ratio) video file in your project and slide it on your timeline. Your image will be cropped according to the timeline ratio. At this point, start zooming in and out of your image, and/or move the image along the X and/or Y axis to properly frame your 1920x1080 image within the timeline ratio.
Export. You're done.
Try using masks, adding a black rectangle with a transparent zone, or switch to a composting program.
If you are using Premiere you can also use After effects, or you can try Hit Film Express that has a pretty decent compositing mode, and it is free. Also, Davinci Resolve has a compositor.
On why? I can not say.
