How to Easily Remove Black Bars from Your Video?

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How to Easily Get Rid of Black Bars from Video?

1. Using HD Video Converter Factory Pro

2. Using 123Apps' Video Editor

Understanding Black Bars in Videos

Why Do Videos Have Black Bars?

======FAQs======

Black bars in a video can be annoying, especially when they take up too much screen space or make the picture look smaller than it should. In many cases, you can remove them by cropping the frame or correcting the aspect ratio.

That said, black bars are not always a mistake. Some videos use them on purpose to preserve the original framing, avoid stretching, fit a specific platform size, or create a cinematic look.

In this guide, we'll show you how to remove unwanted black bars from a video and explain when you may want to keep or even add black bars instead.

How to Easily Get Rid of Black Bars from Video?

Removing black bars can be a case-by-case task, depending on whether the bars are baked into the video, added by the player, or caused by a wrong aspect ratio. Below are two practical methods to tackle this issue without making the video look stretched.

Method 1: Using HD Video Converter Factory Pro

WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro is a versatile video processor with easy-to-use editing and parameter adjustment features. It lets you crop black bars, correct a wrong aspect ratio, and convert the video to a more compatible format in one workflow. Here's the walkthrough:

Step 1. Add Your Video File

Install and runInstall and run the application. Access the "Converter" module and import the video file that has black bars.

Step 2. Select an Output Format

Choose the desired output format for your video from 500+ configured presets, depending on your needs and the platform you plan to use the video on.

Step 3. Remove Black Bars

Based on different cases, choose either option to get rid of video black bars:

Use the "Crop" feature to manually crop the black bars from your video when the bars are already part of the frame.
If your video is distorted (e.g., a 16:9 video squished to 4:3), go to "Parameter settings" and select "16:9" from the "Aspect ratio" drop-down menu instead of cropping the picture.

💡 Note: The same features can also work the other way around. If you want to add black bars to a video for a cinematic look or to fit a specific canvas size, you can adjust the aspect ratio or crop the frame slightly. Just remember that cropping removes part of the image, while changing the aspect ratio may add empty space around the video without cutting off the original picture.

Step 4. Export Your Video

Choose a destination folder and hit the "Run" button. With a simple click, your video is converted and ready to be shared or published. If you changed the aspect ratio instead of cropping, preview the result first to make sure people, objects, and subtitles still look natural.

Method 2: Using 123Apps' Video Editor

For those who prefer an online solution, 123Apps' Video Editor offers a straightforward and accessible platform to remove black borders from your video, all from the comfort of your web browser.

Step 1. Upload Your Video

Visit 123Apps' Video Editor and click on "Create project" button. Click "Add files" to upload your letter-boxed or pillar-boxed video file. You can also drag and drop it into the window.

Upload File to Online Video Black Bar Remover

Step 2. Crop Unwanted Black Bars

Once the video is uploaded, use the "Crop" feature to eliminate the video black bars. The crop tool is designed for ease of use, offering a visual interface to remove black bars precisely.

Step 3. Ensure Perfect Fit

Make sure to toggle on the "Fit canvas to content" option to ensure the video fills the entire frame. Then click the "Apply" button to save the changes.

Step 4. Export the Video

Click the "Save" button on the left sidebar to remove black bars from video online and export your video. With a free account, you can output an MP4 video up to 720p resolution.

Some online video editors can also add black bars by changing the project canvas or aspect ratio. However, for large files, higher output quality, or batch processing, a desktop tool is usually more practical.

Understanding Black Bars in Videos

Essentially, the black borders or black bars in videos have different types with corresponding terms:

Letterboxing: This occurs when black bars appear at the top and bottom of a video. It's common when a wide aspect ratio video is displayed on a screen with a different aspect ratio.
Pillarboxing: When you see black bars on the left and right sides of a video, that's pillarboxing. It often happens when a standard 4:3 video is played on a widescreen display.
Windowboxing: This effect combines both letterboxing and pillarboxing, with black bars surrounding all four sides of the video, typically resulting from multiple format conversions or a video being placed into the wrong canvas size.

In short, black bars appear when the video frame and the display frame do not share the same shape. Sometimes they are automatically added by a player or platform. Sometimes they are already baked into the video file. And sometimes, editors add them on purpose to protect the original framing or create a wider cinematic feel.

So before removing black bars, it is worth checking whether they are truly unwanted. If the bars are part of a movie's original aspect ratio, cropping them may cut off important visual information. But if they were added by mistake during recording, editing, or format conversion, removing or correcting them makes sense.

Why Do Videos Have Black Bars?

There are a few common reasons why black bars appear in videos:

Aspect Ratio Mismatch: When the video's aspect ratio doesn't match the display screen's ratio, black bars are added to compensate for the difference. For example, a 4:3 video played on a 16:9 TV usually results in black bars on the sides.
Creative or Cinematic Effect: Some creators intentionally add black bars to make the video look wider or more cinematic. This is common in trailers, music videos, travel videos, and short films.
Intended Film/TV Format: Certain movies and TV shows are produced in wide cinematic aspect ratios, such as 2.35:1 or 2.39:1. Removing the bars may crop the original composition.
Device Variation: Different devices and media players have varying default display ratios, which can lead to the automatic addition of black bars to adapt the video to the screen.
Camera or Recording Settings: When a camera, phone, or screen recorder uses a frame size that does not match your target output, black bars may appear after editing or exporting.
Incorrect Video Settings: If your video was recorded, converted, or edited with the wrong aspect ratio, you may end up with black bars, a squeezed image, or both.
Platform or Canvas Fitting: When a video is placed into a canvas with a different aspect ratio, black bars may be added to keep the full image visible without stretching or cropping. This is often better than forcing the video to fill the screen and cutting off important details.

Wrapping Up

Removing black bars from a video is usually a matter of cropping the unwanted edges or fixing the aspect ratio. If the bars were caused by wrong export settings, player mismatch, or repeated conversions, tools like HD Video Converter Factory Pro and online editors can help you clean up the frame easily.

But not every black bar needs to be removed. For movies, cinematic videos, or platform-specific layouts, black bars may help preserve the original composition. The best approach is to check why the bars are there first, then decide whether to remove them, keep them, or add them intentionally for a better viewing result.

FAQs

Q1: Should I always remove black bars from a video?

A: Not always. If the black bars were caused by a wrong aspect ratio, poor export settings, or unnecessary padding, removing them can make the video look cleaner. But if they are part of the original movie frame or used to preserve a cinematic aspect ratio, cropping them may cut off important image areas.

Q2: Will removing black bars affect the video quality?

A: Cropping black bars does not directly damage the remaining image, but the video still needs to be exported and usually re-encoded. To keep good quality, choose a proper output format, avoid unnecessary compression, and keep the resolution and bitrate reasonable.

Q3: What is the best way to remove black bars without stretching the video?

A: Cropping is usually the safest method if the black bars are actually part of the video frame. If the video looks squeezed or stretched, correct the aspect ratio instead of cropping. Stretching a video just to fill the screen can make people and objects look unnatural.

Q4: Can I add black bars to a video on purpose?

A: Yes. You can add black bars by placing the video into a canvas with a different aspect ratio, changing the aspect ratio settings, or using a crop/overlay method in a video editor. This is often used to create a cinematic look or fit a video into a specific platform size without stretching it.