Aspect ratio is the proportional relationship between the width and height of a video frame, expressed as two numbers such as 16:9 (widescreen) or 9:16 (vertical for mobile).
Aspect ratio defines the shape of the video frame. The most common aspect ratio for modern video is 16:9, which is the standard for HD and UHD television, YouTube, and most web video. Other important aspect ratios include 9:16 (vertical video for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Stories), 1:1 (square, popular on Instagram), 2.39:1 (cinematic widescreen or anamorphic), and 4:3 (the classic television format that preceded widescreen).
Choosing the right aspect ratio is a creative and strategic decision. Cinematic aspect ratios like 2.39:1 convey a premium, filmic quality and work well for brand films and narrative content. Social media platforms increasingly favor vertical 9:16 video, which fills the entire phone screen and commands attention in feeds. Square 1:1 video provides a compromise that works reasonably well on both desktop and mobile.
Many modern video campaigns require multiple aspect ratios from the same footage — a widescreen hero video for the website, a vertical cut for social stories, and a square version for feed posts. Planning for this during production (framing shots to accommodate multiple crops) and editing (creating separate timelines for each ratio) ensures that every deliverable looks intentional rather than awkwardly cropped from a single master.
Frame rate is the number of individual frames (images) displayed per second in a video, measured in frames per second (fps), which affects motion smoothness and the overall aesthetic feel.
Letterboxing is the practice of displaying widescreen content within a standard-width frame by adding horizontal black bars above and below the image, preserving the original aspect ratio without cropping.
Resolution refers to the number of pixels in each dimension of a video frame, typically expressed as width by height (e.g., 1920x1080), which determines the level of detail and clarity in the image.