# Keep the part that matters: cropping is now in ZXN Studio

Reframe a screen recording or image without starting again. The new crop tool brings draggable handles, aspect presets and pixel-level control straight into the preview.

Canonical: https://zxn.studio/blog/crop-video-in-zxn-studio

A useful recording does not always arrive with the perfect frame. There might be too much desktop around a window, a distracting strip along one edge, or extra space that makes your subject feel small. **ZXN Studio now includes cropping**, so you can choose which part of a video or image belongs in your edit without recording it again.

The crop tool works directly in the preview. You can adjust the visible rectangle with handles, choose a familiar aspect ratio, or enter exact pixel values. Your original media stays available, so the framing decision remains something you can revisit.

## See the crop tool in the app

![ZXN Studio showing a real crop session: a 960 by 720 pixel rectangle, Left 160 and Top 40, over a 1280 by 800 demo recording.](/media/articles/zxn-cropping-demo.webp)

In this example, we imported our public recorder demonstration into ZXN Studio and placed it on the timeline. The source is 1280 × 800 pixels. We then narrowed the crop to **960 × 720**, with **Left set to 160** and **Top set to 40**. The shaded area shows the footage outside the selection, while the handles and guides show the part we are keeping.

These values are an example, not a recommended setting for every video. Choose a frame that preserves the information your viewer needs. A software tutorial may need its navigation visible; a close-up explanation may work better with less surrounding interface.

## How to crop a clip

Select the video or image clip on the timeline. In the Inspector's **Clip** section, choose **Crop footage…**. The preview enters crop mode and displays the crop rectangle over your footage.

Drag an edge or corner to change the rectangle. Drag inside it to move the selection across the source. The Inspector also exposes **Left**, **Top**, **Width** and **Height**, making it possible to repeat an exact crop rather than estimate it by eye.

The preset menu includes **Freeform**, **Original**, **16:9**, **4:3**, **Square** and **9:16**. A preset is a useful starting point when you already know the shape you need. For precise adjustments, focus a crop handle and use the arrow keys for one-pixel steps, or hold Shift for ten-pixel steps. Shift-dragging a corner preserves proportions.

Choose **Done** to keep the crop. **Cancel** or Escape leaves the crop session without applying its changes. After applying a crop, **Edit crop…** lets you return to it, and **Reset crop** restores the full source frame.

## Cropping, trimming and canvas size do different jobs

Cropping changes the part of the picture you show. Trimming changes when a clip starts or ends. The canvas defines the shape of your finished video. A vertical crop of one clip does not, by itself, turn the entire timeline into a vertical project.

That distinction matters when adapting a tutorial for a Short. Pick the destination canvas, crop the relevant footage, and check how it sits alongside titles, backgrounds and other clips. Keep important controls away from the edges and watch the whole section, especially if the action moves across the screen.

## Make the tighter frame earn its place

A crop can improve focus, but it cannot recover detail that was never recorded. If a small selection must fill a much larger canvas, inspect the result at the size your audience will watch. Text readability is more important than removing every spare pixel.

Start with one clip, make a modest adjustment and play it back. When the framing helps someone follow the action with less effort, it has done its job. [Download ZXN Studio](/download) to try cropping, or explore the [editing guide](/docs/editing) for the rest of the workflow.

## Sources and further reading

- [ZXN Studio editing guide](https://zxn.studio/docs/editing)
- [Download ZXN Studio](https://zxn.studio/download)