Aspect Ratios Explained: 16:9, 4:3, 1:1 and Where to Use Them

Aspect ratio is simply width compared with height. Get it wrong and your picture is stretched, cropped or boxed in black bars.

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Reading a ratio

16:9 means 16 units wide for every 9 high. 1920 ร— 1080 and 1280 ร— 720 are both 16:9 – same shape, different size.

What each platform wants

YouTube and most screens: 16:9. Stories, Reels, Shorts and TikTok: 9:16. Instagram feed: 4:5 or 1:1. Link share images: 1.91:1 (1200 ร— 630). Classic photos: 3:2 or 4:3.

Resizing without distortion

Keep the ratio the same. Enter the original size and the new width into the Aspect Ratio Calculator to get the matching height.

Changing the ratio

That requires cropping or padding. Use Crop Image to cut to the new shape, or Add Border to Image to pad to a square without losing anything.

Frequently asked questions

What ratio is 4K?

16:9 (3840 ร— 2160).

What is 4:5 in pixels?

1080 ร— 1350 on Instagram.

Why do black bars appear?

The video's ratio doesn't match the screen's.

๐Ÿ“Free Aspect Ratio Calculator
Find the ratio and resize without stretching.
Open tool →

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