What is Aspect Ratio, and why should you care?

Clients and content creators can both profit from the answer to this question.  Clients need to understand the implications of choosing one over the other and how it can shape your video’s aesthetics, storytelling, mood and viewer experience.  Then content creators need to be able to plan their shoot, confident that they understand their clients brief, namely the where and how the final videos will be edited and put out into the public domain, or how their audience are likely to view their wonderful creations, so the video’s are seen in their best possible visual quality.

In a nutshell, aspect ratio describes the relationship between the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the video frame.  In other words, it determines the shape of the video playback screen.  It influences not only your film’s composition and overall look, but also whether it’ll play nice on your intended platforms.

Most common aspect ratios.

16:9 Ratio - Commonly referred to as widescreen video.  In its High Definition (HD) state, it is at the pixel dimensions of 1920x1080.  Widescreen is more frequently used for longer videos, screen shares or videos aiming for a more cinematic feel.  It is the ideal aspect ratio for most desktop screens, televisions, and streaming platforms like YouTube, Vimeo and Netflix.  The 16:9 ratio was ideal for online videos until social media usage skyrocketed.

1:1 Ratio - Commonly referred to as square video, and is typically found at 1080x1080 pixels.  This aspect ratio was popularised by Instagram when the social media platform was promoting square images and posts.  These days the 1:1 aspect ratio is used more as a stylistic choice for video.

4:5 Ratio - This is where you start to get into vertical portrait-mode videos.  You are commonly working with a frame size of 1080x1350 pixels.

9:16 Ratio - This is commonly referred to as full vertical video and is typically 1080x1920 pixels frame size.

These ratios can always be used at different pixel resolutions, but you always want to capture footage at its optimum resolutions, so you have the best picture quality possible when you come to the editing stages.  Video resolution is fundamental to video quality and viewers’ experience.

What to use and where.

There is no right or wrong choice for the ratio of a video, other than the specific requirements of particular platforms, and choosing the best ratio is a matter of intention and how you want to make your audience feel while watching.

Platform Recommended   Recommended Other sizes

Aspect Ratio size / resolutions accepted

      (Pixels)

Youtube:        16:9     1920x1080

Youtube shorts:          9:16     1080x1920 1:1

Instagram Feed/Posts          4:5     1080x1350 1080x608, 1:1

Instagram Stories:          9:16     1080x1920 16:9

Instagram TV (IGTV):          9:16     1080x1920 16:9 -IGTV feed 

4:5  -IGTV feed

1:1  -IGTV grid

Instagram Live:          9:16     1080x1920

Instagram Reels:          9:16     1080x1920

Instagram Carousel:          4:5     1080x1350 1080x608, 1:1

LinkedIn for Mobile:          4:5     1080x1350 16:9, 1:1, 9:16

LinkedIn for Desktop:        16:9     1920x1080 1:1,

LinkedIn Video Ads:        16:9     1920x1080 9:16, 4:5, 1:1

Facebook Feed Ads:          4:5     1080x1350 1:1

Facebook Marketplace:          1:1     1200x1200

Facebook Carousel:          1:1     1080x1080

Facebook in-stream:        16:9     1920x1080 1:1

Facebook Stories & Reels:          9:16     1080x1920

TikTok          9:16     1080x1920 1:1, 16:9

X  (Twitter) Feed        16:9     1920x1080 1:1

X  Video Ads        16:9     1920x1080  

X  Carousel Ads        16:9                                1920x1080 1:1

Repurposing video content.

Both shooting and editing come with creative choices and technical considerations about the aspect ratio.  During shooting, the content creator will compose shots based on the chosen aspect ratio to align with the intended viewing platform and aesthetic desires, whilst preserving/capturing the best image quality possible ensuring vital information is captured.  However, during post-production it is often required to repurpose/change original footage multiple times into different (than originally intended) aspect ratios for different viewing platforms.  This process will ultimately impact the pixel density, visual quality and alter the original composition and affect the visual storytelling, impacting on the viewer’s experience (as demonstrated below).  

1a) Original 16:9 footage       1b) Repurposed footage        1c) Repurposed footage 

      now as 9:16                       scaled up to fit full

9:16 screen

Original 16:9 widescreen footage can easily be repurposed into 9:16, 4:5 or 1:1 with rescaling, at the expense of composition and degrading the image quality (the degrading isn’t as noticeable when you shoot the original footage as Full HD (1920x1080 pixels), 4K (3840x2160 pixels) or 4K UHD (4096x2160 pixels), but using any lower resolution footage than these will result in a huge noticeable breakdown in image quality.

1a) Original 9:16 footage            1b) Repurposed footage              1c) Repurposed footage 

      now as 16:9                             scaled up to fit full

16:9 screen

Repurposing 9:16 footage for a 16:9 widescreen project has a huge effect on composition and image quality.

Final ramblings.

My approach is to always shoot with the end in mind - you can’t over think it - try and future-proof your final edits by understanding where it is going to be viewed.  Ideally record your content in 4K and think about a wider angle of view so that you fit more within the frame which allows you to crop into the video without losing important elements in your shot.

Taylor your choice of aspect ratio and video output to where your target audience thrives.  Different platforms favour different ratios, so understanding your viewers’ preferences will enhance engagement.  

Be mindful of any potential cross-platform uses for your videos and meticulously plan any filming production, in order to maximise the amount of usable content you create, and to make the most of your budget.  

Understand the limitations and compromises that come with filming for repurposing the same footage for multiple aspect ratios / platforms.

Your choice of aspect ratio will depend on the story you wish to tell.  Cinematic stories can be widescreen, but stories geared towards mobile devices work best in vertical forms.

Think about how and where people will view your material. The optimal ratio is affected by desktop displays, TV screens, and mobile devices.  Choosing the ideal aspect ratio ensures that your message is consistent with the medium and that viewers will find your video engaging on the platforms and devices of their choice.