Aspect ratios
16:9 Aspect Ratio Calculator & Dimensions
Calculate 16:9 dimensions, compare HD, Full HD and 4K sizes, and resize widescreen video without stretching.
16:9 describes a widescreen frame: 16 units across for every 9 units down. A 1920 × 1080 video and a 3840 × 2160 video have the same shape but different pixel counts. Use the calculator below to choose dimensions for that shape.
Resize With This Ratio — 16:9
Change either side. The other updates proportionally. Results show whole pixels and the exact value before rounding.
Exact height: 1080 px
16:9 dimensions in pixels
There is no single pixel size for a 16:9 frame. These width × height pairs all simplify exactly to 16:9. Choose a size to open it in the full calculator.
| Width (px) | Height (px) | Calculate this size |
|---|---|---|
| 1280 | 720 | 1280 × 720 |
| 1920 | 1080 | 1920 × 1080 |
| 2560 | 1440 | 2560 × 1440 |
| 3840 | 2160 | 3840 × 2160 |
Use the resizing calculator above for a custom dimension. Changing both sides independently can distort the image; changing one side proportionally preserves the ratio.
How the ratio is calculated
1920 ÷ 120 = 16; 1080 ÷ 120 = 9. Dividing both sides by the same value preserves the proportions and gives 16:9. 120 is the greatest common divisor of these dimensions.
Height = width × 9 ÷ 16. Width = height × 16 ÷ 9. These formulas change size without changing shape. They do not crop or pad the source.
HD, Full HD and UHD share one shape
1280 × 720, 1920 × 1080, 2560 × 1440 and 3840 × 2160 all simplify exactly to 16:9. Doubling both dimensions quadruples the pixel count. It does not make the frame wider relative to its height, and enlarging a smaller source does not recover missing detail.
A practical widescreen export
YouTube identifies 16:9 as its standard desktop video ratio. For an existing 1920 × 1080 source, exporting at 1280 pixels wide gives 720 pixels high. Keep the original proportions when scaling. If the source is 4:3 instead, choose a crop or padding workflow rather than forcing both dimensions independently.
Whole-pixel rounding
For a requested width of 1000 pixels, the exact height is 562.5 pixels. A raster image needs a whole-pixel height, so rounding to 563 produces a very small departure from exact 16:9. Use widths divisible by 16 when you need an exact integer pair.
16:9 resizing examples
| Width | Exact height | Rounded height |
|---|---|---|
| 320 px | 180 px | 180 px |
| 640 px | 360 px | 360 px |
| 1080 px | 607.5 px | 608 px |
| 1920 px | 1080 px | 1080 px |
Decimal heights are displayed to four decimal places. Rounding can change the final ratio slightly. For an exact integer result, use dimensions that are whole-number multiples of 16:9.
Resolution lookups for this shape
Related aspect ratios
Reference
YouTube’s official video resolution and aspect ratio guidance lists its standard desktop ratio and common export resolutions.