4.5

131Compressor User Guide
Cropping removes video content from an image. If the output file has a different aspect
ratio than the output frame size, black borders appear along the top and bottom or left and
right sides of the transcoded file. If the cropped image matches the output frame size, the
image will still be cropped, but no black borders will be seen.
Padding doesn’t remove any of the source image. Instead, padding adds black to the image
to fit it into a different-size frame. This can be useful for transcoding files that are stored
with incorrect pixel aspect ratios, such as widescreen DV files that appear squished. You
can also use the padding controls to shrink an image and deliberately add black borders
around the outside of the image.
Modify a frame size in Compressor
There are multiple ways you can customize the frame size of a source clip during
transcoding. That’s because the cropping and padding controls allow you a great degree
of flexibility and versatility.