- What the hell is up with these different aspect ratios
and which one should I use?
If that's something you've thought
to yourself anytime lately, then this video is for you.
We're gonna help you understand
what exactly aspect ratios are,
which one should you be using
for your favorite social media platforms?
And if you stick around till the end of the video,
we'll also show you how you can convert your videos
from one aspect ratio to another in minutes.
Sounds useful?
Let's jump right in.
Okay, first things first,
let's understand what does an aspect ratio stand for?
The aspect ratio is the ratio between the width
and the height of a video or a screen.
It determines how wide or long your video will be
and are usually represented in the format, X is to Y.
For example, when you look at full HD videos,
the width to height of the video is 16 units by nine units,
which makes it a horizontal rectangle.
Similarly, a one to one aspect ratio
will mean a square frame where the width
and the height of the video will be the same.
Now it's worth noting the difference
between the resolution of the video and the aspect ratio.
When you're looking at aspect ratios,
the actual size of your video frame is irrelevant
since it's just a measure of how wide your screen is
as compared to how tall your screen is.
Your resolution on the other hand represents
the actual size of the video frame denoted in pixels.
So for example, let's go back to our full HD videos.
The aspect ratio is 16 is to nine
but the actual resolution is 1920 by 1080 pixels,
which is what you get when you multiply 16 is to nine
with a factor of 120 pixels.
But if you take 4K ultra HD,
the resolution or the actual size is 3840 by 2160 pixels,
which is still the same 16 is to nine aspect ratio,
but now multiplied by a factor of 240.
Now let's quickly cover why aspect ratios
are worth paying attention to.
When you record or edit a video,
you want to make sure that the aspect ratio
matches the native size of the platform
you are making it for,
or else it won't create the immersive experience
you would want it to.
For example, if you upload a one is to one
or a four is three aspect ratio video to YouTube,
it will automatically add bars on either sides of the video
spoiling the experience since the ideal viewing ratio
for YouTube is 16 is to nine.
Similarly, if you upload a 16 is to nine video
to Instagram stories, it will add black bars
to the top and the bottom of your video
since the recommended aspect ratio is nine is to 16.
And it won't look as good
as you would have intended for it to be.
So what you want to ensure is that your video's aspect ratio
is the same as the best recommended aspect ratio
of the platform or format you are uploading it to.
Which brings us to what exactly are the best aspect ratios
for different social media platforms?
Let's cover this next.
Let's start with the most common one, that is 16 is to nine.
It's popularity is purely because it allows video
to be recorded in the highest possible resolution.
And that's why it's a standard
on most popular video streaming platforms, such as YouTube.
When it comes to IGTV, nine is to 16
is still the ideal recommended aspect ratio.
However, given the longer nature of the format,
there will be times when you would want to repurpose a video
from YouTube shorten, 16 is to nine to nine is to 16.
If you want to know more on how you can do that,
you can check out this other tutorial from our channel
where we have governed exactly that.
When it comes to TikTok and Snapchat,
again, the ideal aspect ratio is nine to 16,
since it is completely optimized for viewing on mobile.
Same goes for Pinterest,
vertical panes are usually preferred over square panes,
but you can create both,
nine is to 16 and one is to one video panes.
Now let's talk about LinkedIn.
Since LinkedIn videos get viewed on desktop
as well as on mobile,
the best recommended aspect ratio
is either a wide, 16 to nine or a square, one is to one.
Same is the case with Twitter,
one is to one remains a favorite since it will look seamless
on both mobile and desktop.
Last but not the least, let's talk about Facebook.
Facebook's newsfeed videos
are very much like Instagram feed posts.
One is to one or four to five are preferred,
but when it comes to Facebook stories,
vertical nine is to 16 aspect ratio
is what you should go with.
And there you have it.
That's a roundup of all recommended aspect ratios
for all popular social media platforms.
Now, before we let you go,
we want you to address an important roadblock
a lot of creators face when they post
the same videos on multiple platforms.
Hence, typically it can be a lot of hassle
for creators to share their videos
across two different social media platforms.
We at InVideo are very familiar with this,
and hence, we made it super easy
for you to duplicate your projects
from one aspect ratio to another.
When you complete a project in InVideo,
you can use the duplicate button
to create an exact replica of the video
in a different aspect ratio.
The original version will not be affected in any way,
and you will get a new copy that has all of your scenes
and elements realigned to the new aspect ratio.
You can simply make minor adjustments and get a full version
of your video in under five minutes.
If that sounds useful,
then you would definitely want to check out InVideo
if you haven't already by using the link in the description.
And if you found this video useful,
make sure you give this a big thumbs up.
We've also created an entire playlist
around other video fundamentals like this one.
You can check that out on the screen.
And with that being said, this is Christine from InVideo,
and I'll see you in the next one.
(air whooshing)