Photo aspect ratios explained

The aspect ratio is the shape of a picture: how wide it is compared with how tall. It is written as two numbers, such as 4:5. The ratio does not say how big the picture is, only its shape. A small picture and a huge poster can share the same ratio.

Ratio	Shape	Where you meet it
1:1	Square	Profile pictures, Instagram square posts, collages
4:5	Slightly tall	Instagram portrait posts, 8 × 10 inch prints
3:4	Tall	Most phone cameras by default, 6 × 8 inch prints
2:3	Tall	Most cameras, 4 × 6 and 8 × 12 inch prints
9:16	Very tall	Stories, status, reels, phone wallpapers
16:9	Wide	Videos, TV screens, YouTube thumbnails
5:7	Slightly tall	5 × 7 inch prints
1:1.41	Tall	A4, A3 and A5 paper

Why it matters

Every screen and every sheet of photo paper has its own shape. When the shape of your photo is different, something has to give: either strips of the photo are cut off, or empty bands appear at the sides. Knowing the ratio in advance lets you choose which, and where.

Working out a ratio

Divide the width and the height by the same number until both are small whole numbers. A photo of 3000 × 4000 pixels divides by 1000 to give 3:4. A print of 4 × 6 inches divides by 2 to give 2:3.

Cropping without regret

Decide where the picture will be used before you crop.
Keep a copy of the original. A cropped photo cannot be uncropped.
When you take the photo, stand back a little. Extra space at the edges gives you room to crop to any shape later.
For a group photo that must become a square, crop from the sky and the floor, not from the people.

Turning a tall photo into a wide one

A tall photo cannot fill a wide space without losing most of itself. Use a collage instead: place two or three tall photos side by side. Our collage maker has layouts for exactly this.

Questions people ask

What does 4:5 mean?

For every 4 units of width the picture has 5 units of height. 1080 × 1350 pixels is a 4:5 picture, and so is an 8 × 10 inch print.

Is 16:9 the same as 9:16?

They are the same shape turned on its side. 16:9 is wide, like a television. 9:16 is upright, like a phone held normally.

How do I change the ratio of a photo?

By cropping: cutting strips from two opposite sides. The frame maker on this site crops for you when you choose a size, and you can drag the photo to decide what stays.