Whether it be movies, photos or video games, the aspect ratio is an essential component of almost every form of multimedia these days. You might have heard people flexing their 8K cameras or 4K TVs but not knowing what these terms mean.

What Is Aspect Ratio?

Aspect ratio is like any other ratio, i.e. comparison between two numerical values related to each other. Similarly, Aspect Ratio is the ratio between the width and the height of an image.

This can be in terms of inches, centimeters or pixels, but the relationship remains the same. For example, an aspect ratio of 1280×720 means the image has a width of 1280 pixels and a width of 720 pixels. Similarly, an aspect ratio of 3:4 means the width is 3/4th compared to the height of that image. 

An x:y aspect ratio means the image is x units wide and y units high. If you’re looking to resize images or videos, calculating the resulting aspect ratio is important to avoid stretching images.

How To Calculate Aspect Ratio?

You can calculate the aspect ratio of an image by following these simple steps:

1. Find the original height of the image. We are taking 1080 pixels as an example here.
2. Find the original width of the image. Taking a Full HD image for calculation purposes, the width of our image will be 1920 pixels.
3. Divide the height by the width. In our case, 1080/1920=0.5625. This is the aspect ratio of our image.
4. Now, we can derive the height of the resulting image from the preferred width. This can be done by multiplying the quotient(from step 3) to the preferred width. Let’s say our preferred width for the image is 2000 pixels, then the height of our image will be 0.5625*2000 = 1125 pixels. 

Thus, you can calculate the aspect ratio of your image by following these steps but why make so much effort if you can just use our aspect ratio calculator which does the hard work for you!

How To Use Aspect Ratio Calculator?

With our aspect ratio calculator, you can easily find out the resulting height or width of an image quite easily. All you need to do is select the correct preset or use a custom ratio for your image.

Then, you can easily find out the resulting height by inserting the width of that image and vice versa. You can use the aspect ratio calculator to help with editing and resizing images.

Knowing the correct aspect ratio helps prevent stretching or cropping out parts of the image due to resizing.

Typical Aspect Ratios And Screen Size

There are many aspect ratios which are currently in use depending on their application. We have mentioned a few typical aspect ratios used by most creators.

1. 480p

It is the highest resolution in standard resolution and comes at an aspect ratio of 3:2.

2. 720p

720p is commonly known as HD Ready or Semi-HD and is commonly found in low-end TVs, mobiles and laptops etc. It has an aspect ratio of 16:9 with a resolution of 1280×720.

3. 1080p

1080p is Full HD resolution and is the most common resolution in displays these days. It has an aspect ratio of 16:9 and a resolution of 1920×1080. 

4. 1440p

1440p is also known as Quad-HD or 2K since 1440p displays often have width around the 2000 pixel range. 1440p displays have an aspect ratio of 16:9 and a resolution of 2560×1440.

5. 4K

4K Ultra-HD displays have 4 times the pixels as 1080p displays. They are much sharper and have greater pixel-per-inch than 1080p displays.

A 4K generally has 16:9 aspect ratio with a resolution of 3840×2160 but you can get a 16:10 4K display with a resolution of 3840×2400.

If you understand more about 2K Vs 4K displays, then you can checkout our guide on 2K Vs 4K Monitors here.

5. 8K

8K has two times the resolution of 4K and is becoming increasingly popular among cinematographers.

8K cameras have immense detail and sharpness with most 8K videos looking life-like. 8K has an aspect ratio of 16:9 with a resolution of 7680×4320.

Frequently Ask Questions (FAQs)

Q: Does Aspect Ratio Affect Picture Quality?

A: Aspect ratio in itself does not affect the picture quality as it’s just the ratio between height and width of an image.

However, if you try cropping or resizing an image to a different aspect ratio than its original, you will end up losing some amount of pixels which subsequently affects picture quality. 

Q: Which Aspect Ratio Is Best For Monitor?

While 16:9 has been the standard aspect ratio for most monitors in past few years, we recommend using 16:10 monitors.

Why? Well, its a relatively new aspect ratio which has seen an increase in its use over the years. Compared to 16:9 displays, 16:10 displays have higher resolution in similarly-sized frames.

16:10 helps with productivity as you get a wider field of vision while retaining the widespread application of 16:9. Many multimedia companies are using 16:10 aspect ratio for their videos and pictures as it offers better resolution and increased sharpness.

Q: What Aspect Ratio Is 1920×1080?

1920×1080 or Full HD resolution has the aspect ratio of 16:9. It is the most common aspect ratio used in many mobiles, TVs and other media applications.

Q: Which Aspect Ratio Is Best?

Now, there isn’t a single answer to this question as the most appropriate aspect ratios change with their application.

If you want to be on the safe side, try producing media in 16:9 aspect ratio as it is the most common aspect ratio used by modern television, photography and other media applications. 4:3 is another popular aspect ratio which is used by many photographers and social media.