To crop your webcam in Streamlabs Desktop, select its source, then hold Alt while dragging a middle handle to trim an edge. Resize and position the source separately: dragging a corner changes its displayed size, while Alt-dragging a middle handle crops the image and cannot size the camera down diagonally.
This distinction matters when you are fitting a face camera into an overlay. First make the whole source the right size and place it; crop only the extra image that protrudes beyond the frame you want. The steps below apply to Streamlabs Desktop, not OBS Studio.
Open the scene and select the webcam source
Open the scene you want to edit in Streamlabs Desktop. In the editor, select the webcam source in the Sources list or click its visible image in the preview. When selected, the source shows handles around its bounds; those handles are what you use to resize, position and crop it.
Make sure you have selected the camera source itself, rather than a border, overlay, text layer or another item covering it. If several sources overlap, choosing the name in the Sources list is often clearer than clicking the preview. If the camera image is obscured, temporarily hide the source above it or select the webcam from the list.
If you have more than one scene, check that you are editing the one you intend to use. A change to a source in one scene may not give you the composition you expected in another, particularly when scenes are arranged differently for portrait and landscape layouts. Streamlabs documents using separate scenes with different webcam treatments; its guide to using multiple scenes with different webcam filters is useful context if you want distinct looks without repeatedly changing one layout.
Before you drag anything, take a moment to identify the camera rectangle and the overlay or scene area it needs to fit. The webcam may show more of the room than you want, but that does not mean you should immediately shrink it. A smaller source still shows the same full image; cropping is the step that removes unwanted edges.
Add a Video Capture Device if needed
If the scene has no webcam source, add one from Sources as a Video Capture Device. Select an existing source if you have already set up that camera, or create a new source and choose the camera device from the available options. Streamlabs’ getting-started guide covers adding sources and selecting a capture device.
Once the camera appears in the preview, select it in the Sources list so the handles are visible. If the list contains several similar names, choose the one associated with the device you intend to show. Avoid adding a second copy just to make the crop work: cropping is performed on the selected source, and a duplicate can leave you with two overlapping images or make later edits confusing.
If you cannot see a picture after adding the source, solve that before trying to crop. Check that you selected the intended device and that another source is not covering it. A blank preview does not give you a useful frame to compose, and dragging handles will not correct a device-selection problem.
The crop action itself does not require a new camera, capture card, overlay pack or separate crop utility. Streamlabs describes the crop operation as an adjustment to a source already in the scene. Overlays can help with the finished design, but they are optional; Streamlabs also notes that free overlays are available. You can make a webcam fit a plain scene without buying an overlay.
Resize the webcam from a corner
With the webcam selected, drag one of its corner handles to make the whole source larger or smaller. A corner drag changes the displayed size of the complete camera image. It does not trim away the top, bottom or sides; the same visible contents are scaled into a different-sized rectangle.
Use this adjustment when the camera is simply too large or too small relative to the rest of the scene. For example, if your face camera occupies too much of the screen beside a title panel, make the entire webcam source smaller from a corner. If it is too small to read clearly, enlarge it before you decide whether any edge needs trimming.
Keep the distinction in mind when fitting the camera to a frame. If you shrink the source to hide an unwanted strip of wall, you also shrink your face and every other part of the image. If your face is already at the right scale and the wall is the problem, cropping is more appropriate. Streamlabs’ tutorial on cropping a webcam in Streamlabs Desktop demonstrates the corner-resize and Alt-drag crop as separate actions.
A corner drag is a visual adjustment, not a precise crop-value workflow. The official instructions do not establish an exact numeric crop-control method, so do not rely on entering particular pixel values as part of these steps. Work in the scene preview and judge the visible result at the size and layout you plan to use.
Position it in the scene
After resizing, drag the selected webcam within the preview to place it where you want it. Positioning moves the source; it does not remove image content. Put the camera where it belongs in relation to the overlay, text, other video and the edges of the scene before cropping its image.
For an overlay with a defined camera window, use its edges as visual guides. Centre the face where it should appear, then see whether parts of the camera image extend outside the desired frame. If the webcam is in a lower corner, for instance, position the source so the face sits comfortably in that area rather than pushing it against the scene edge. Crop only when excess image remains along an edge after placement.
There are three different decisions here: size, position and crop. Size changes how large the whole image appears. Position changes where that image sits. Crop removes visible material along one or more edges. Changing one can affect how the next feels, so it is normal to resize, reposition and then make a small crop adjustment before checking the full composition again.
If you are also building a long-running YouTube channel, remember that a neat webcam frame is only one part of the output. For the broader workflow, video streaming tips for creators and businesses gives context on planning a stream, while video aspect ratios explained can help you think about the shape of the overall canvas. Neither changes the Streamlabs crop gesture; they help you decide what the scene should look like.
Hold Alt and drag a middle handle to crop
To crop, keep the webcam source selected, hold Alt, and drag one of the middle handles on its bounding box. A middle handle is centred on an edge, rather than at a corner. Dragging it with Alt trims the corresponding edge of the camera image. Use a horizontal or vertical drag along the edge, then release Alt and the mouse when the visible frame looks right.
This is the key distinction from resizing. A corner drag scales the whole webcam. Alt-dragging a middle handle removes part of the image at an edge. If you want to keep your face the same apparent size while removing empty space on one side, crop that side rather than scaling down the complete camera source.
The limitation is important: Alt-drag cropping does not size the camera down diagonally. Do not treat an Alt-drag from a corner as a diagonal way to resize or crop the webcam. The documented crop gesture is edge-based; if you need the whole camera smaller, use an ordinary corner drag instead. Streamlabs’ official tips on source cropping also describe crop behaviour for capture sources.
If the handle does not appear, check that the webcam itself is selected and that you are dragging from the middle of an edge. A corner handle is for resizing, and a click on the image interior moves the source. Keep the Alt key held while dragging the middle handle; without it, you are not using the crop gesture described here.
Crop edges with horizontal or vertical drags
Work on one edge at a time. To remove a strip from the left or right, drag the middle handle on that side horizontally. To remove excess from the top or bottom, drag the middle handle on that edge vertically. This keeps the action aligned with the edge being cropped and avoids confusing it with a corner resize.
A practical sequence is to begin with the edge that clearly contains unwanted material. If the camera view includes a wide strip of empty room on the right, Alt-drag the right middle handle inward. Check the face position and the overlay opening, then decide whether the opposite edge or a top or bottom edge needs a separate adjustment. Small, separate drags are easier to judge than trying to make several changes at once.
Cropping can make a composition feel tighter, but it cannot change what the camera captured. If a hand, instrument, devotional image or other important detail is already outside the source image, cropping cannot bring it back. It only hides content along the edges. Repositioning may help if the content is present in the image but sits awkwardly in the scene; resizing may help if the entire image needs to occupy more or less space.
Do not infer a numeric amount from the drag or expect a documented pixel-by-pixel method in this workflow. The supported instruction is to drag the edge handle while holding Alt and judge the preview. If a particular crop is hard to repeat across a different layout, save or preserve a separate scene composition rather than assuming the crop should be entered as an exact value.
Streamlabs notes that the same general crop gesture can apply to game and window capture sources too. That is useful when arranging a screen capture, but for this task stay focused on the selected webcam source and its visible edge handles. The source type changes what is shown; it does not turn edge-cropping into diagonal downsizing.
Preview the result in the scene
Once you have trimmed the edges, look at the complete scene rather than only the selected source. Check that the webcam fits its intended window, that the face is not clipped, and that the crop has not exposed a gap where the overlay expected the image to continue. Toggle source selection off or click elsewhere in the preview if the handles make it difficult to judge the final appearance.
Check the result at the canvas layout you will actually use. A close-up preview can hide a cramped composition; the full scene shows whether the camera is balanced against text, logos, and other content. If the crop makes the face too large or too small, go back to a corner handle and resize the full source. If the scale is good but an unwanted strip remains, use Alt with the relevant middle handle again.
Make one change, inspect it, and then make the next. This makes it easier to undo a crop that went too far and reduces the chance of confusing movement with trimming. If you change scenes, confirm the webcam treatment in the scene that will be broadcast, rather than assuming another scene has an identical position or crop.
For a continuous YouTube broadcast, the composition is also worth checking before leaving the channel unattended. Cropping does not prevent an encoder or network interruption. If a stream stops, the guide on telling whether YouTube stopped because of the encoder or internet helps separate those causes from a scene-layout issue. A correct crop gives you a cleaner frame, not a guarantee that a broadcast will remain live.
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FAQ
Does Alt-drag resize the webcam?
No. A normal corner drag resizes the whole source, while holding Alt and dragging a middle handle crops an edge. Use the corner when the complete camera image should become larger or smaller.
Can I crop the webcam diagonally with Alt?
No. Streamlabs notes that Alt-drag cropping cannot size the camera down diagonally. Crop edges with horizontal or vertical drags from middle handles; use a corner drag if the entire source needs resizing.
Do I need an overlay or paid add-on to crop?
No. The crop is an adjustment to the webcam source in Streamlabs Desktop. An overlay is optional design material, not a requirement for cropping.
Can I use the same crop gesture on another capture source?
Streamlabs says the general crop gesture also works for sources such as game and window capture. Select the source you intend to adjust and use its edge handle; do not confuse the crop gesture with corner resizing.