Best Aspect Ratio for Photos: Ultimate Guide 2024

Summary: Discover the best aspect ratio for photos. Guidelines will help you select photo proportions for social media. And guide on photo printing and how to crop photos will help you easily handle your photos.

The aspect ratio for photos is a crucial parameter. We always encounter this situation when we upload a photo or profile on social media, it turns out to be cropped by the system automatically and loses the best photo composition. Because it is not a good aspect ratio suitable for social media. So, what is the best aspect ratio for photos? What is the standard aspect ratio for social media?

In this article, I will introduce you to the best aspect ratio for photos and different standard photo proportions for social media. Also, guidelines for choosing the good aspect ratios for images easily help you to select. I will provide you with suggestions about photo printing and how to crop your photos easily in the correct and best photo proportion. Let’s see how to do it.

What Is Aspect Ratio in Photography?

The ratio in photography means the proportion between the Width and the length of a photo. It represents the relative dimensions of the photo in both horizontal and vertical directions. The photo size ratio is usually presented as a number, such as 4:3, 16:9, 4:5, 1:1, 3:2 and so on.

What Are the Popular Aspect Ratio Formats?

4:3 Aspect Ratio

4:3 is a common photo proportion for people to use. It is widely used on traditional cameras and traditional television screens.

4:5 Aspect Ratio

This 4:5 photography ratio is quite common in large print and art photography. It is a special photo size ratio between 3:2 and 4:3.

3:2 Aspect Ratio

3:2 is the most popular photo ratio on 35mm camera and is used in most digital cameras for default aspect ratio.

1:1 Aspect Ratio

1:1 is a photography ratio that popular in recent years. Because of Instagram, the 1:1 ratio started to come into people’s horizons. This aspect ratio is a perfect square which makes the width and height equal.

16:9 Aspect Ratio

16:9 must be the photo ratio we see every day. This photo ratio has been used for HD television and film production and also for modern tablet computers and computer screens.

What Is the Best Aspect Ratio for Photos on Social Media?

The Best Aspect Ratio for Facebook

Maybe many people are confused about the picture ratio for Facebook covers and posts. Actually, they are not the same as the photo size ratio I mentioned above.

Facebook cover is used at 851x315 resolution, not a specific fixed aspect ratio like 3:2 or 1:1.

Facebook post is almost close to 5:4, but it actually is at 940x778 resolution.

The Best Aspect Ratio for Instagram Post

Instagram post aspect ratio are more common using a 1:1 photography ratio. You can find 1:1 photo proportion is popular among those bloggers.

The Best Aspect Ratio for Pinterest Post

Pinterest is more presenting its content vertically, so the best photo proportion is at 750x1120 resolution.

The Best Aspect Ratio for Wallpaper

Mobile wallpaper is a 19.5:9 ratio. Although there is a slight difference between phone screens, it doesn’t matter.

PC wallpaper uses a 16:9 picture ratio. This normal photo aspect ratio can fit all kinds of computers.

The Best Aspect Ratio for YouTube Thumbnail

A 16:9 photo ratio is used for YouTube thumbnails. It is the longest photo size, so you need to prepare a big photo to crop like this.

Is it hard to remember so many ratios for social media at the same time? Never mind. Fotor image cropper has one click to crop on standard photo proportion for social media for you. Click the social media picture ratios and it will automatically process it quickly and easily.

Which Aspect Ratio Is Used in Most Modern Images and Screens?

4x3 vs 16x9

I can tell the best aspect ratio for modern images and screens is hard to say. 4x3 vs 16x9? Which is better? These two photography ratios are standing out in their area. 16:9 has become the default aspect ratio in film, video, advertisements, and more social media content.

But 4:3 is also a good way to use photos taken by camera or phone camera. Even today, there are still people who like to crop their images into 4:3 to share on social media.

So which one to choose depends on what your needs are. You can choose different photo size ratios to use and the best photo size ratio must be the one suitable for you.

Which Aspect Ratio Is Best for Prints

The best photo proportion for prints depends on multiple factors, including the print quality, printer device resolution and the original resolution of photos.

But usually the common photo ratios for prints are:

• 4x6 inch: It’s the most common print aspect ratio for designing standard photo greeting cards and frames.
• 5x7 inch: This is bigger for making photo albums.
• 8x10 inch: a large size for print to make high-quality print photos.

There is not only one ratio for you to print photos, you need to adjust according to your preference, printer device and photo resolution.

Before photo printing, try to call a print service provider for more printing suggestions.

How Can I Adjust Photos Aspect Ratio?

If you are unsatisfied with your portrait aspect ratio or want to crop your photo aspect ratio into social media standards, I recommend Fotor image cropper.

With Fotor’s image cropper, you can convert photos into the standard image ratio for social media platforms with just one click. Whether is YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or wallpaper on PC and phone, Fotor has got you covered. Even you can use Fotor image cropper to crop the ratio freely whatever you like.

Let me show you how to crop the photo size ratio.

1. You can quickly crop an image online using Fotor’s free image cropper. Firstly, click the button “Crop Best Aspect Ratio Photos” to open Fotor and upload the picture you want to crop.
2. You can freehand crop the picture by dragging the corners of the crop box. To create the perfect picture composition, move the crop box until you're satisfied.
3. Alternatively, you can choose from preset crop ratios for social media or enter your desired width and height for cropping your picture. Make sure to click the “Keep Aspect Ratio” option if you want to keep the proportion of the original picture.
4. When you’ve finished cropping, click the “Download” button to export the cropped photo. You can save it in high-quality JPG, PNG, or PDF format.

Conclusion

In this article, I introduce the best aspect ratio for photos for you and also the good aspect ratio for social media and photo printing. However, if your photos are not standard, the Fotor image cropper will help you easily crop the standard aspect ratio in seconds. Come and try now!