Where has crop gone?

not sure if this is a bug, but I have just installed Version 19.04 on linux and the crop option has gone. any Ideas?

Not a bug. You have a track selected, and Crop is not permitted on a track.

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yes of course, silly me, thanks shotcut leader

If you need to apply the crop filter to a track there is a trick to doing it.

Apply the crop filter to a clip first. Then copy the filter, select the video track and paste the filter.

image

Crop is a misunderstood filter, and it is due for rename and the addition of another kind of crop filter. This Crop filter removes rows or columns from edges of the source media before it is automatically scaled to the project resolution. Thus, if the source media is a higher resolution than the project resolution, it takes advantage of that extra detail. However, the parameters are the number of pixels in the source resolution, not the project. If you put this on a track, and the clips in your track have different resolutions, it gives unpredictable results against anything except the clip for which the filter was adjusted. This type of crop filter is good for removing bad edges or forcing a source with a different aspect ratio than the project to completely fill the screen by cropping - by clicking the Center checkbox (think: digital photo).

I read here in the forum a suggestion from another user that talked about incorporating a brief explanation (or link) in the options menu of each filter.
As it happens with the Compression filter (attached image)


In this particular case, it refers to an external link (Wikipedia), but that link could refer to a place on the Shotcut site, where there is a brief explanation of each built-in filter. This would to some extent avoid redundant forum queries (I also include myself).
I recognize that this would not improve the performance or operation of the software (as such) but would better guide the user. I also recognize that it is an additional effort, to incorporate all this, however perhaps users are open to collaborate on this, as I observe that there are users in the forum who know the filters and are ready to help.
I don’t know if it’s a good idea but it’s my suggestion.:slightly_smiling_face:

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If something like ejmillan suggestion could be added I think would be a big help for new users, I find the current crop feature very useful for video game footage, as often you are working with lots of resolutions. As Shotcut Leader, point out you do have to set the filter differently for each clip.

For me a lot of my experience with the filters comes with just playing around with them, size and position is another one I use a lot and it’s not easy to get to understand at first. I often had to adjust stretched 16:9 gaming footage and put it back into 4:3 and you have to use the distort option to do that and it took me some time to work that out. So having somewhere that links to a wiki explains the basics would be very helpful.

I imagine it would be a lot of work, however and it is something that might be best done when Shotcut is feature complete so to speak, which I suspect might be some years away yet.

Surely, the addition of new filters (or new features for filters already included) could force a modification or extension of the existing information in the link, and this would be an additional work of updating the documentation.
The example of the audio compressor filter is there, so it seems feasible.
Unless a filter varies radically in its concept or function, the general information provided would be valid for quite some time.

It depends on how much effort you want to put into it. I have updated my “Sniper Scope” filter to have a “Description” button at the end that takes you to a webpage on my website (see link below) that has a description of the filter (including a screen-shot) and a copy of the ZIP file to download the filter.

This is mainly for a new section on my webpage on Shotcut filters. That webpage could very easily be used as a template for filter descriptions. Please have a look and see what you think and let me have any suggestions.

http://elusien.co.uk/shotcut/filters/SniperScope/

@sauron, If you like I could do this for the latest set of filters you’ve made available.

I put the latest version of sniper scope on google drive.

If you can find good details for the filters I’ve done. I haven’t been able to find much information for the filters, other than MLT documentation and some have brief descriptions in the Kdenlive manual.

It is as easy as setting up a webpage, either on the Shotcut site or an external site, with the relevant details of the filter and adding 10 lines of code to the “ui.qml” file, e.g.

    Label {
        text					: qsTr('Description')		// Link to filter description
		Layout.alignment		: Qt.AlignRight
	}
	Button {
        id						: description
        Layout.alignment		: Qt.AlignLeft
		text					: "Details"
		onClicked				: Qt.openUrlExternally('http://elusien.co.uk/shotcut/filters/SniperScope')
    }

The information you include about the “Sniper Scope” filter is well organized, clear and the screenshot allows a quick glance.
Depending on the versatility of each filter, the information may need to be more extensive, but the idea is to have a minimum starting base. Your idea of a template would give uniformity to the whole.
My suggestion was to focus on a Shotcut-hosted site for the filters included by default in the editor, such as a centralized site for, in addition to serving as a reference for a filter (from the filter menu in SC), it would also serve as general reference documentation.
For users, the source of information is mainly this forum, this is not bad because it allows to share situations.
Look at the text in Instructions:

Extract the Zipfile into your Shotcut filters folder (directory), which on Winows systems is somewhere similar to:.

At code level within SC, it’s probably just a few lines, however, I think the most arduous job (besides creating the web page) is to collect the filter information and clearly write the informative text, as well as the options and functionalities.
I’m not suggesting that all the work is done by the developers. Users can also do their bit in terms of providing screenshots, or even help with editing (provided the developers think it’s a good enough idea to start this).
I don’t mean by this either, that the process is from today to tomorrow, but can be implemented gradually. First, start with the simple filters (that surely don’t need explanation) to have a structure.
I don’t want the developers (who already invest a lot of time and work) to think that I give them additional work, so, and seeing that there are advanced SC users who actively collaborate in the forum, I thought that maybe one way to approach this would be a collaborative project.
And since today I am lucid and I get ideas (and while they are ideas they don’t cost money) I thought that this can be articulated at the forum level, with a section (of threads) created for that purpose. Any user who would like to help with this would have a channel enabled for it.
Some filters that users in the forum create or modify, were incorporated by the developers in the latest version of SC, which speaks very well of the desire to make SC an exciting project and also highlights the involvement of users in this.

(I hope the translator knows how to convey my words and thoughts) :grin:

I have clarified this on the webpage.

I am more than happy to spend some time creating webpages for various filters, putting them up on my website for people to view and comment on and updating them according to the comments received. However I’d first like a few users’ feedback on the two I have already done:

http://elusien.co.uk/shotcut/filters/SniperScope/ and Shotcut Video Filter: vertigo

before I dash off and do the work, only to find someone has a great idea for additional content on each webpage. I run a local Apache web-server and would prefer to use PHP (rather than static HTML) for the webpages, however, if more people are going to contribute this may not be such a good idea.

I agree it would be best to have an area on the Shotcut webpage for this filter documentation. However, I could understand Dan’s reluctance if he didn’t want users updating his website, just as I wouldn’t like anyone having write access to mine.

Developing the webpages locally is relatively easy and then passing them to me as a ZIP file for inclusion on my website shouldn’t be too much of an overhead. Once everyone is happy with the results I could then pass a ZIP file of a bunch of descriptions and the updated filters on to Dan for inclusion on his website.

Let me know what you think.

I had problems using the vertigo filter. Then realised it uses Dan’s new framework that needs the latest version of Shotcut, which I’m not using yet. So I hope you don’t mind but I converted it to the old format using my template (took 10 mins) and then it was fine, so I could see what the UI controls were.

I added the “description” button to the UI and created the webpage:

http://elusien.co.uk/shotcut/filters/vertigo/

Let me know if you have any feedback.

Indeed, I agree.
I didn’t mean that users would modify or have access, but that they could contribute ideas, texts, and content that Dan could ultimately consider implementing or not on the Shotcut website (that is, Dan would eventually have the extra job of reviewing this content before agreeing).
It is the developer’s prerogative to consider this or not, and there really is no need for justification by the developer to implement it or not.
I just thought it was a good idea.
Well, today as it’s a very sunny day here (+23ºC) :sunny:, I won’t be on the computer long.
I will check these two filters during this weekend, as well as the description on your website.
Greetings.

Is Winnows Systems correct in the instructions?
Are you referring to Windows Systems?

The description site looks good. I tried the UI. It works fine. I think it’s best if the UI works with the latest framework.

From what I understood from your last post about your Sniper filter, you were working on some issues regarding error messages. So I haven’t looked at it since then. I take it that the one you have linked there is the one with those latest issues taken care of?

Yes - the Sniper Scope in the ZIP file on the website now works as expected - enjoy.