Letterbox Node

Letterbox handles conversion between different aspect ratios cleanly and automatically. Rather than cropping or stretching, it adds bars where needed to keep the original content intact.

Typical case: a 2.35:1 image (cinema) to fit into a 16:9 canvas (broadcast). Letterbox automatically adds black bars at the top and bottom. The reverse: a 16:9 image in an old 4:3 broadcast canvas = pillarbox (bars on the sides).

• Effects Library: Tools > Transform > Letterbox
• Quick add: right-click in the Node Editor → Add Tool > Transform > Letterbox

Crop

Physically cuts - loss of information. A new resolution but truncated content.

Letterbox

Adds bars, keeps the full content. Changes the resolution but preserves the information. The conceptual opposite of Crop.

Mask (visual bars)

Adds bars without changing the resolution. The bars are only visual; the flow stays at the original ratio.

Rule: format conversion that preserves the content → Letterbox. Destructive resolution change → Crop. Decorative bars (without changing the resolution) → a visual mask.

• Input (orange) - 2D image to fit.

Cinema 2.35 to broadcast 16:9:
MediaIn (cinema 2.35) → Letterbox (Width 1920, Height 1080) → MediaOut
                       = black bars top/bottom

Broadcast 16:9 to 4:3 (old TV):
MediaIn (16:9) → Letterbox (Width 1440, Height 1080) → MediaOut
             = pillarbox (bars left/right)

Pan-and-Scan (animated reframe):
MediaIn (16:9) → Letterbox (Pan-and-Scan mode, animated Center X)
             → MediaOut (4:3 reframe that follows the action)

Width / Height

Output dimensions in pixels. Sets the new ratio and forces the bars to be added.

Auto Resolution

Automatically applies the Frame Format Preferences or the timeline resolution. Handy for templates.

Pixel Aspect X / Y

Adjusts the output pixel aspect ratio (useful for anamorphic or SD content).

Center X / Y

Repositions the image in the new frame. Only effective in Pan-and-Scan mode - lets you choose which part of the image stays visible when cropping.

Mode

• Letterbox/Envelope: resizes so the whole image fits in the Width, adds bars at the top/bottom if needed.
• Pan-and-Scan: resizes so the full height is used, crops the sides if the image is wider. Animatable Center.

Filter Method

Resampling interpolation (Linear, Catmull-Rom, Lanczos, etc.).

Letterbox / Envelope

Preserves all the content. If the target ratio is narrower, bars at the top/bottom. If wider, bars on the left/right. The choice that respects the artistic framing.

Pan-and-Scan

Crops to fill the frame. No bars. You can animate the Center to move the visible area over time - the historic "pan-and-scan" used to broadcast cinema films on 4:3 TVs while following the action.

Rule: artistic preservation → Letterbox. Mandatory full screen with active reframing → Pan-and-Scan.

• Cinema 2.35 → broadcast 16:9 conversion - Letterbox adds black bars at the top/bottom. Standard for airing films on HD TV.
• Broadcast 16:9 → vertical 9:16 delivery - Pan-and-Scan to reframe while following the main subject (Instagram stories, TikTok).
• 16:9 pillarbox on a 21:9 ultrawide screen - Letterbox with a Width larger than the native height = bars on the left/right.
• Bringing several shots to a common format - sources with different aspects (4:3, 16:9, 21:9) → each goes through a Letterbox to a common format.
• Stylistic cinema bars - convert a 16:9 image to a 2.35 aspect with bars = the "cinematic" look of YouTube videos and short films.
• Animated Pan-and-Scan for vertical adaptation - a 16:9 shot of a talk to reformat as 9:16 for TikTok, with Center X animated to follow the moving speaker.
• Anamorphic de-squeeze - 2× anamorphic footage → Letterbox with an adjusted Pixel Aspect = a clean de-squeeze to the final format you want.

• Letterbox to respect the artistry - filmmakers prefer Letterbox, which preserves the original framing at the cost of bars. Pan-and-Scan destroys the intended framing.
• Animated Center X in Pan-and-Scan - to follow the action when reformatting a horizontal shot to vertical. Keyframes with easing for smooth motion.
• Auto Resolution for templates - if the project can have different target resolutions, Auto Resolution adapts without touching the parameters.
• Watch the Pixel Aspect - a wrong pixel aspect produces a stretched or squashed image. Typical values: 1.0 for modern HD, 0.9 for NTSC 4:3, 1.333 for NTSC widescreen.
• Lanczos for resampling - the best quality if the image has to be resized in the process. Catmull-Rom is fine for downscaling.
• Black bars ≠ pure black - by default the bars are perfectly black. For pro broadcast, black is sometimes very slightly above 0 (luma 16) to avoid broadcast safe issues.
• For colored or animated bars (not just black), use a Background node + Merge rather than Letterbox (which only handles black).