Erasing Extra Borders for Smooth YouTube Playback

How to Remove Black Bars from YouTube Videos

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The black bars appear because the video uploaded by the users may include horizontal black bars at the bottom and top of the video player to fit an aspect ratio of 4:3. The YouTube video player has an aspect ratio of 16:9, so it adds vertical black bars to fit according to the dimension. And in this guide, we will help you get rid of this trouble and remove annoying black bars from YouTube videos.

• Part 1: Removing the black bars before uploading
• Part 2: Removing the black bars from uploaded YouTube videos

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Remove the black bars before uploading

You can make use of the following software to remove the black bars from your videos.

1. Wondershare Filmora

Filmora supports a large format of videos hence one of the widely used. Follow these steps to remove the black bars:

• Import the video or drag and drop it in Wondershare Flimora.
• Select the video with black bars and right click on it.
• Click on “crop and zoom” which will open the crop window.
• Set your desired frameset (16:9, 4:3 or customized aspect ratio) and see your video in the preview pane.
• Save the new video without the black bars by clicking on “Export”.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

2. Sony Vegas Pro

One of the most popular and sought after video editing tool, Sony Vegas Pro can help removing the black bars very simply:

• Open the video.
• You will see the video in preview and a timeline beneath, right click on the video clip on the timeline.
• Click on properties, a new window will pop-up, click on disable resample and make sure that “maintain aspect ratio” is unchecked.
• Your video will be without the black bars. Save the video.

3. Windows Live Movie Maker

This inbuilt tool in Windows for video editing can be used to remove the black bars from your YouTube videos.

• Drop and drag the video to windows live movie maker.
• Select the video and you will see a couple of options to set aspect ratio.
• Click on the desired one and the black bars will be removed.
• You can save the video in different formats.

4. Final Cut Pro

Final Cut pro offers you a whole lot of video editing options that includes removal of black bars. Right aspect ratio ensures there are no unpleasant black bars on either side of the video. To get them removed with the help of Final Cut Pro:

• Import the video with black bars.
• Select the video and change its aspect ratio. (Either stretch it or crop it).
• Save the video after it has been corrected.

Removing the black bars from uploaded YouTube videos

It is very simple to remove black bars from existing YouTube videos or while uploading a video. Click on the Edit button next to the video, and add the most suited instruction in the Tag bar below:

yt:crop=16:9

This tag zooms in on the video because of which the contents at the borders (black bars in this case) do not appear anymore.

yt:stretch=16:9

This tag stretches the video in the aspect ratio of 16:9. It is used to view the video in wide-screen format.

yt:stretch=4:3

if your video is appearing in wide-screen format, but you want it to display in 720 x 480 pixels, apply this tag. It scales down the video 4:3 aspect.

Try any of the above software to remove black bars from existing YouTube videos or the new videos and make it pleasant to viewers.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The black bars appear because the video uploaded by the users may include horizontal black bars at the bottom and top of the video player to fit an aspect ratio of 4:3. The YouTube video player has an aspect ratio of 16:9, so it adds vertical black bars to fit according to the dimension. And in this guide, we will help you get rid of this trouble and remove annoying black bars from YouTube videos.

• Part 1: Removing the black bars before uploading
• Part 2: Removing the black bars from uploaded YouTube videos

Remove the black bars before uploading

You can make use of the following software to remove the black bars from your videos.

1. Wondershare Filmora

Filmora supports a large format of videos hence one of the widely used. Follow these steps to remove the black bars:

• Import the video or drag and drop it in Wondershare Flimora.
• Select the video with black bars and right click on it.
• Click on “crop and zoom” which will open the crop window.
• Set your desired frameset (16:9, 4:3 or customized aspect ratio) and see your video in the preview pane.
• Save the new video without the black bars by clicking on “Export”.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

2. Sony Vegas Pro

One of the most popular and sought after video editing tool, Sony Vegas Pro can help removing the black bars very simply:

• Open the video.
• You will see the video in preview and a timeline beneath, right click on the video clip on the timeline.
• Click on properties, a new window will pop-up, click on disable resample and make sure that “maintain aspect ratio” is unchecked.
• Your video will be without the black bars. Save the video.

3. Windows Live Movie Maker

This inbuilt tool in Windows for video editing can be used to remove the black bars from your YouTube videos.

• Drop and drag the video to windows live movie maker.
• Select the video and you will see a couple of options to set aspect ratio.
• Click on the desired one and the black bars will be removed.
• You can save the video in different formats.

4. Final Cut Pro

Final Cut pro offers you a whole lot of video editing options that includes removal of black bars. Right aspect ratio ensures there are no unpleasant black bars on either side of the video. To get them removed with the help of Final Cut Pro:

• Import the video with black bars.
• Select the video and change its aspect ratio. (Either stretch it or crop it).
• Save the video after it has been corrected.

Removing the black bars from uploaded YouTube videos

It is very simple to remove black bars from existing YouTube videos or while uploading a video. Click on the Edit button next to the video, and add the most suited instruction in the Tag bar below:

yt:crop=16:9

This tag zooms in on the video because of which the contents at the borders (black bars in this case) do not appear anymore.

yt:stretch=16:9

This tag stretches the video in the aspect ratio of 16:9. It is used to view the video in wide-screen format.

yt:stretch=4:3

if your video is appearing in wide-screen format, but you want it to display in 720 x 480 pixels, apply this tag. It scales down the video 4:3 aspect.

Try any of the above software to remove black bars from existing YouTube videos or the new videos and make it pleasant to viewers.

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Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The black bars appear because the video uploaded by the users may include horizontal black bars at the bottom and top of the video player to fit an aspect ratio of 4:3. The YouTube video player has an aspect ratio of 16:9, so it adds vertical black bars to fit according to the dimension. And in this guide, we will help you get rid of this trouble and remove annoying black bars from YouTube videos.

• Part 1: Removing the black bars before uploading
• Part 2: Removing the black bars from uploaded YouTube videos

Remove the black bars before uploading

You can make use of the following software to remove the black bars from your videos.

1. Wondershare Filmora

Filmora supports a large format of videos hence one of the widely used. Follow these steps to remove the black bars:

• Import the video or drag and drop it in Wondershare Flimora.
• Select the video with black bars and right click on it.
• Click on “crop and zoom” which will open the crop window.
• Set your desired frameset (16:9, 4:3 or customized aspect ratio) and see your video in the preview pane.
• Save the new video without the black bars by clicking on “Export”.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

2. Sony Vegas Pro

One of the most popular and sought after video editing tool, Sony Vegas Pro can help removing the black bars very simply:

• Open the video.
• You will see the video in preview and a timeline beneath, right click on the video clip on the timeline.
• Click on properties, a new window will pop-up, click on disable resample and make sure that “maintain aspect ratio” is unchecked.
• Your video will be without the black bars. Save the video.

3. Windows Live Movie Maker

This inbuilt tool in Windows for video editing can be used to remove the black bars from your YouTube videos.

• Drop and drag the video to windows live movie maker.
• Select the video and you will see a couple of options to set aspect ratio.
• Click on the desired one and the black bars will be removed.
• You can save the video in different formats.

4. Final Cut Pro

Final Cut pro offers you a whole lot of video editing options that includes removal of black bars. Right aspect ratio ensures there are no unpleasant black bars on either side of the video. To get them removed with the help of Final Cut Pro:

• Import the video with black bars.
• Select the video and change its aspect ratio. (Either stretch it or crop it).
• Save the video after it has been corrected.

Removing the black bars from uploaded YouTube videos

It is very simple to remove black bars from existing YouTube videos or while uploading a video. Click on the Edit button next to the video, and add the most suited instruction in the Tag bar below:

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yt:crop=16:9

This tag zooms in on the video because of which the contents at the borders (black bars in this case) do not appear anymore.

yt:stretch=16:9

This tag stretches the video in the aspect ratio of 16:9. It is used to view the video in wide-screen format.

yt:stretch=4:3

if your video is appearing in wide-screen format, but you want it to display in 720 x 480 pixels, apply this tag. It scales down the video 4:3 aspect.

Try any of the above software to remove black bars from existing YouTube videos or the new videos and make it pleasant to viewers.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The black bars appear because the video uploaded by the users may include horizontal black bars at the bottom and top of the video player to fit an aspect ratio of 4:3. The YouTube video player has an aspect ratio of 16:9, so it adds vertical black bars to fit according to the dimension. And in this guide, we will help you get rid of this trouble and remove annoying black bars from YouTube videos.

• Part 1: Removing the black bars before uploading
• Part 2: Removing the black bars from uploaded YouTube videos

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Remove the black bars before uploading

You can make use of the following software to remove the black bars from your videos.

1. Wondershare Filmora

Filmora supports a large format of videos hence one of the widely used. Follow these steps to remove the black bars:

• Import the video or drag and drop it in Wondershare Flimora.
• Select the video with black bars and right click on it.
• Click on “crop and zoom” which will open the crop window.
• Set your desired frameset (16:9, 4:3 or customized aspect ratio) and see your video in the preview pane.
• Save the new video without the black bars by clicking on “Export”.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

2. Sony Vegas Pro

One of the most popular and sought after video editing tool, Sony Vegas Pro can help removing the black bars very simply:

• Open the video.
• You will see the video in preview and a timeline beneath, right click on the video clip on the timeline.
• Click on properties, a new window will pop-up, click on disable resample and make sure that “maintain aspect ratio” is unchecked.
• Your video will be without the black bars. Save the video.

3. Windows Live Movie Maker

This inbuilt tool in Windows for video editing can be used to remove the black bars from your YouTube videos.

• Drop and drag the video to windows live movie maker.
• Select the video and you will see a couple of options to set aspect ratio.
• Click on the desired one and the black bars will be removed.
• You can save the video in different formats.

4. Final Cut Pro

Final Cut pro offers you a whole lot of video editing options that includes removal of black bars. Right aspect ratio ensures there are no unpleasant black bars on either side of the video. To get them removed with the help of Final Cut Pro:

• Import the video with black bars.
• Select the video and change its aspect ratio. (Either stretch it or crop it).
• Save the video after it has been corrected.

Removing the black bars from uploaded YouTube videos

It is very simple to remove black bars from existing YouTube videos or while uploading a video. Click on the Edit button next to the video, and add the most suited instruction in the Tag bar below:

yt:crop=16:9

This tag zooms in on the video because of which the contents at the borders (black bars in this case) do not appear anymore.

yt:stretch=16:9

This tag stretches the video in the aspect ratio of 16:9. It is used to view the video in wide-screen format.

yt:stretch=4:3

if your video is appearing in wide-screen format, but you want it to display in 720 x 480 pixels, apply this tag. It scales down the video 4:3 aspect.

Try any of the above software to remove black bars from existing YouTube videos or the new videos and make it pleasant to viewers.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Troubleshooting: When YouTube Shorts Images Fail To Display

Video thumbnails are important since they encourage people to click and watch the video. But what if your set YouTube Shorts thumbnail is not showing? YouTube will use a random part of the video as the thumbnail. It may be an unflattering or uninteresting shot. Then, your Shorts video is doomed.

That said, it is a problem you want to solve. Here are 7 FAQs about YouTube Shorts thumbnails. They may help you with fixing this issue.

Q1. Can I Customize YouTube Shorts Thumbnails?

Yes, you can. YouTube did allow short-form video creators to upload custom thumbnails for their Shorts. However, they aren’t that optimized. For instance, some people may not see them on the Shorts shelf. Also, if you share a link to the video somewhere else, the old video thumbnail may show instead of the new one.

Adding a custom thumbnail for YouTube Shorts is the same as adding one for long-form videos on the platform. Follow these steps:

• Open the YouTube mobile app. Click the “Plus” icon at the bottom center > “Create Short.” Upload, edit, and post your video.

• Get to your desktop computer or laptop. Open your channel’s YouTube Studio.

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• On the left navigation menu, click “Content.”

• Click the “pencil” icon next to the Shorts you just uploaded. This video should be at the top of the list.
• Navigate to the Thumbnail section. Click “Create Thumbnail.”

Q2. Why Are YouTube Shorts Thumbnails Not Showing?

It’s not you who’s the only one with Shorts thumbnails not showing. Many short-form content creators on the platform are also facing this issue. A YouTuber took to Reddit to complain about how he uploaded custom thumbnails for all his videos. The thumbnails are correct in the editor. However, YouTube still displays a random frame as the thumbnail on the Shorts shelf.

“They ALL have randomly selected different parts of each video I have uploaded & somehow generated a new/unknown thumbnail that was neither what I uploaded as the custom option nor 1 of the 3 that YouTube auto populated.”

YouTuber on Reddit

The reason behind this is the difference in the thumbnail size. Regular YouTube video thumbnails are in the ratio of 16:9. Meanwhile, Shorts uses a ratio of 9:16. The thing is that YouTube does not yet allow you to upload 9:16 thumbnails. Thus, the thumbnail for Shorts may show correctly on the video section but not on the Shorts shelf.

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Q3. How to Fix YouTube Shorts Thumbnail Problem?

Unfortunately, there is no reliable fix to this problem yet. YouTubers have tried different things in hopes that YouTube will display the correct thumbnail for their Shorts.

Some YouTubers have tried using different images. Others have experimented with changing the aspect ratio of the thumbnail or using Adobe editor for ratios. Clearing histories and cache, using different browsers, resizing, and changing the images’ resolution have also been done. Sadly, these are all failed attempts.

Q4. How To Boost Views When I Have no Control Over YouTube Shorts Thumbnails?

Attracting viewers on Shorts is the same as attracting viewers on the main YouTube. You use interesting thumbnails and video titles. Since thumbnails are out of the options, selecting great video titles has become even more important.

Here are some pointers. Your title should be at most 40 characters. Also, it should be concise and irresistible. And forget about SEO since no one is searching for YouTube Shorts anyway. People consume what they see in their feeds. So instead, the title should be “snappy.” It should intrigue, entertain, or enlighten the viewers. That will net you some views for your Shorts content.

Q5. How To Get More Views on YouTube Shorts?

Forgoing the intro is the way to go. An intro will just prolong the video when people are in Shorts to find bite-sized videos. So jump right into the video content. You can also start the video with a still frame instead. Using hashtags, captions, and text effects are also recommended. And interacting with your audience through comments and pinned comments will keep them coming back to your Shorts channel.

Of course, ensuring that the video quality is high is key to getting more views. For that, you need a good video editor. You can try Wondershare Filmora , a powerful and easy-to-use video editor.

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The best thing is that you don’t need to transfer the video from your phone to your computer and back. Wondershare Filmora is available on mobile. And it’s one of the best tools for enhancing a short-form video.

Short-form video watchers love filters, transitions, and effects. And Filmora gives you access to all of that. It provides you with fun and amazing filters, effects, transitions, and stamps that can add a wow factor to your short-form video.

Q6. Do YouTube Shorts Make Money?

Making money from YouTube Shorts was challenging. The platform pays content creators who are doing well through the Creator Fund. However, as Shorts grew, the payout became smaller.

Luckily, that’s going to change. Starting this year, Shorts will be a part of the YouTube Partner Program. This means that you can make money from the ads that people watch on Shorts. According to YouTube, creators will keep 45% of the revenue. It will be distributed based on your share of total Shorts views.

YouTube also adjusted the requirements to qualify for the YPP. They made it easier for Shorts content creators to get into the program.

Q7. How Do You Make YouTube Shorts Play Normal?

You can watch Shorts like normal YouTube videos where you can rewind when you want to. Follow these steps.

On a Desktop Computer

• Open a Shorts video on YouTube.

• Pause the video.

• Click “Library” on the left panel.

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• Select the Shorts you just watched. It should be on the top and first on the list.

On a Mobile Phone

• Open the YouTube app. Watch a Shorts video.

• Like the Shorts video.

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• Tap “Library”

• Scroll down to find “Liked Videos.” Click on it.

• Select the Shorts video you just watched. It should be at the top of the list.

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Conclusion

Unfortunately, custom thumbnails not showing on Shorts does not have a fix yet. So to attract viewers, you must leverage the things in your control. You must title your videos in a way that will make users click the video. Also, adding effects and filters on the video using an editor like Wondershare Filmora can help.

Users can subscribe to Shorts channels. And if they see that your videos are well-edited and high-quality, they’ll be more likely to do so. Once they are subscribed, they will see and watch your videos more often.

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The best thing is that you don’t need to transfer the video from your phone to your computer and back. Wondershare Filmora is available on mobile. And it’s one of the best tools for enhancing a short-form video.

Short-form video watchers love filters, transitions, and effects. And Filmora gives you access to all of that. It provides you with fun and amazing filters, effects, transitions, and stamps that can add a wow factor to your short-form video.

Q6. Do YouTube Shorts Make Money?

Making money from YouTube Shorts was challenging. The platform pays content creators who are doing well through the Creator Fund. However, as Shorts grew, the payout became smaller.

Luckily, that’s going to change. Starting this year, Shorts will be a part of the YouTube Partner Program. This means that you can make money from the ads that people watch on Shorts. According to YouTube, creators will keep 45% of the revenue. It will be distributed based on your share of total Shorts views.

YouTube also adjusted the requirements to qualify for the YPP. They made it easier for Shorts content creators to get into the program.

Q7. How Do You Make YouTube Shorts Play Normal?

You can watch Shorts like normal YouTube videos where you can rewind when you want to. Follow these steps.

On a Desktop Computer

• Open a Shorts video on YouTube.

• Pause the video.

• Click “Library” on the left panel.

• Select the Shorts you just watched. It should be on the top and first on the list.

On a Mobile Phone

• Open the YouTube app. Watch a Shorts video.

• Like the Shorts video.

• Tap “Library”

• Scroll down to find “Liked Videos.” Click on it.

• Select the Shorts video you just watched. It should be at the top of the list.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, custom thumbnails not showing on Shorts does not have a fix yet. So to attract viewers, you must leverage the things in your control. You must title your videos in a way that will make users click the video. Also, adding effects and filters on the video using an editor like Wondershare Filmora can help.

Users can subscribe to Shorts channels. And if they see that your videos are well-edited and high-quality, they’ll be more likely to do so. Once they are subscribed, they will see and watch your videos more often.