Contents

Video Transformations

Extra instructions for cropping and reshaping the video as it is delivered.

Where to find it
Labelled Video Transformations in the "Selected Component" section of the Modify drawer.
Offered by
The Video component. Other components do not have this setting.
Per device
Yes — you can set one value for every screen, or separate values for phone, tablet, and desktop.

In plain English

RuleCMS videos are processed on their way to each visitor, which means one uploaded file can be delivered in more than one shape without anyone opening a video editor or uploading a second version.

Sensible defaults are already applied: a format every browser can play, a sensible quality level, and a cap so the video is never sent larger than a web page needs. This setting is for the extras on top — nearly always a crop.

The instructions are short codes separated by commas. "c_fill,ar_16:9" means "crop to fill a widescreen shape". "c_fill,ar_1:1" gives you a square, which is useful when a clip has to sit in a grid alongside square images.

Because this is per-device, the same clip can be delivered as a tall crop on phones and a wide one on desktops.

What each option does

OptionWhat you will see
c_fill,ar_16:9Crop to a widescreen shape.
c_fill,ar_1:1Crop to a square, for grids and cards.
c_fill,ar_9:16Crop to an upright shape, for phone-first layouts.
c_fitShrink the whole frame to fit without cropping anything out.

When you would use it

  • One uploaded video needs to appear in different shapes in different places.
  • A widescreen clip needs an upright crop for phones.

How to change it

  1. Click the video component on the canvas.
  2. In the Modify drawer, open "Selected Component", then "Video Transformations".
  3. Enter comma-separated codes, for example "c_fill,ar_16:9".
  4. Check the result on the canvas, and update Video Intrinsic Width and Height if the shape has changed.
One value, or one per device? Every input in this setting sits under a “Same value for all resolutions” checkbox. Leave it checked for a single value everywhere, or uncheck it to give phones, tablets, and desktops their own. How per-device values work.

Watch out for

  • Cropping a video cannot be undone by the viewer. Anything you crop out — a caption burned into the frame, a face at the edge — is simply gone.
  • If a crop changes the shape, update Video Intrinsic Width and Height to match, or the browser reserves space of the wrong shape.
  • A mistyped code is usually ignored rather than reported, so if nothing changed, check the spelling.
  • These codes do not affect the Poster Image, which is delivered separately.

Related settings

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