So, I finally figured out how to use the crop tool successfully, although I must say I think the DR interface is more straightforward. That said, if I had started out using this apporach on other platforms I would not have encountered any issues. The other tools are pretty straightforward. I may stick with DR over time as it has more features (useful for more important video contriubtions to a project) but the optimizer is a nice add on for this software.