How to Know Which Aspect Ratio to Use in Your Photography

What is an aspect ratio, and how is it different from your image resolution? Most photographers have a general idea of what we’re talking about when we discuss “aspect ratio,” but would be hard-put to define it in their own words. “It’s to do with the size of the image,” is what most people finally settle on. Well today we’re going to go in-depth about this term, so the next time you hear aspect ratio being discussed you can jump right in! (Hint: it’s not so much about size as it is about shape.)

What Exactly Is It, Though?

For any given photo, aspect ratio describes the proportional relationship between your image’s width and height. You can find aspect ratios that are commonly used in photography and film in many of the objects in the world around you. In fact, you needn’t look further than your TV screen (or computer) to find examples:

• Your old-school TV/computer display has a 1.33:1 aspect ratio (almost a square). A ratio like this means the image on the screen may be smaller than it was originally, or the edges have been cut off so the image can fit onto your screen.
• Your TV (for example, those equipped with HDTV) has an aspect ratio of 16:9 (this is a widescreen format, where the width is just about twice as long as the height). This type of ratio…