Editing Cropping (image) (section)

== In cinematography and broadcasting ==
{{See also|Aspect ratio (image)#Problems in film and television{{!}}Aspect ratio issues}}

In certain circumstances, film footage may be cropped to change it from one aspect ratio to another, without stretching the image or filling the blank spaces with [[letterbox (filming)|letterbox]] bars (fig. 2).

Concerns about aspect ratios are a major issue in [[filmmaking]]. Rather than cropping, the cinematographer usually uses [[Open matte|mattes]] to increase the latitude for alternative aspect ratios in projection and broadcast. [[Anamorphic format|Anamorphic]] optics (such as [[Panavision]]  lenses) produce a [[Full frame (cinematography)|full-frame]], horizontally compressed image from which broadcasters and projectionists can matte a number of alternative aspect ratios without cropping relevant image detail. Without this, widescreen reproduction, especially for television broadcasting, is dependent upon a variety of soft matting techniques such as letterboxing, which involves varying degrees of image cropping (see figures 2, 3 and 4).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.filmbug.com/dictionary/aspect-ratios.php|title=Aspect Ratios – Filmbug}}</ref>

Since the advent of [[widescreen]] television, a similar process has removed large chunks from the top & bottom to make a standard 4:3 image fit a 16:9 one, losing 25 percent of the original image. Another option is a process called [[pillarboxing]], where black bands are placed down the sides of the screen, allowing the original image to be shown full-frame within the wider aspect ratio (fig. 6).

<gallery caption="Typical cropping in cinematographic and broadcast applications" widths="200px" heights="120px" perrow="3">
File:Image cropping aspect ratios.jpg|Figure 1:<br />2.35:1 original image with widescreen aspect ratio, showing alternative aspect ratios
File:Image cropping 235x1.jpg|Figure 2:<br />2.35:1 image with letterbox resized to 4:3, the whole image is visible
File:Image cropping 185x1.jpg|Figure 3:<br />1.85:1 image with letterbox resized to 4:3. Typical 16:9 image, the outer edges of the image are not visible
File:Image cropping 155x1.jpg|Figure 4:<br />1.55:1 image with letterbox resized to 4:3. A compromise between 16:9 and 4:3, often broadcast in the UK
File:Image cropping 133x1.jpg|Figure 5:<br />1.33:1 image without letterbox, because it is cropped to 4:3, losing much of the original
<!-- File:Pillarboxed.jpg|Figure 6:<br />A pillarboxed image, allowing the full 4:3 frame to be viewed within a cropped 16:9 widescreen -->
</gallery>