What is aspect ratio?

Aspect ratio is the proportional relationship between width and height of an image, video, or screen, expressed as two numbers separated by a colon (e.g., 16:9). It describes the shape of the rectangle. Common aspect ratios include 16:9 (widescreen), 4:3 (standard), 1:1 (square), and 21:9 (ultrawide). Maintaining aspect ratio prevents distortion when resizing.

What aspect ratio should I use for social media?

Different platforms prefer different aspect ratios: Instagram posts (1:1 square or 4:5 portrait), Instagram Stories (9:16 vertical), Facebook posts (1.91:1 landscape or 1:1), YouTube (16:9), TikTok (9:16 vertical), Twitter (16:9 or 1:1), LinkedIn (1.91:1). Using the correct aspect ratio ensures your content displays properly without cropping or letterboxing.

How do you resize an image without distorting it?

To resize without distortion, you must maintain the original aspect ratio. Lock the aspect ratio in your editing software, then adjust only width or height - the other dimension will adjust automatically. Alternatively, use an aspect ratio calculator to determine the correct dimensions, or crop the image to match a target aspect ratio before resizing.

What's the difference between 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios?

16:9 (1.78:1) is widescreen format, standard for HD video, modern TVs, and most online video. It's wider and better suited for cinematic content. 4:3 (1.33:1) is the traditional TV format, more square-shaped, used in older content and some specialized applications. A 16:9 screen is 33% wider relative to its height compared to 4:3.

How do you calculate aspect ratio from dimensions?

To find aspect ratio, divide both width and height by their greatest common divisor (GCD). For example, 1920×1080 pixels: the GCD is 120, so 1920÷120 = 16 and 1080÷120 = 9, giving you 16:9. An aspect ratio calculator does this automatically, simplifying dimensions to the smallest whole numbers that express the same ratio.