The crop effect, located in the Blackbird image effect subtract, is a convenient way to crop your video for various purposes. Cropping can be used to hide a portion of your asset, affect styling, and ensure compliance. These are just a few reasons to use the crop effect.

To add a crop effect, follow these steps

1. Right-click on the track selector layer of your choice. This will reveal the image effects layers for better visibility.

2. Click on the layer details arrow.

3. Now, right-click on the image effects. This will open the effects control panel.

4. Left-click on the crop effect to apply it to the clip.

Once the crop effect is added to the timeline, please note that unlike other image effects, the crop effect requires a mask to function.

To create a mask

1. Simply click the 'Add Mask' button using your mouse.

2. The mask can be scaled horizontally or vertically by adjusting the edges.

3. You can also universally scale it by adjusting the corners for precise scaling based on a modified mask shape.

4. Use the middle mouse wheel while hovering over the keyframe boxes or the edit monitor to enable adjustments to the mask's rotation.

5. Right-click and drag on the mask's edge to adjust the shape from square to circle or anywhere in between.

6. Lastly, the mask effect can be faded to allow smooth transitions on or off.

In the next video, you will learn how to animate a mask.