Which Aspect Ratio is Best for Marketing and Social Media Videos?

When it comes to creating video content, one detail can make or break how professional it looks on screen: aspect ratio.

If you’ve ever uploaded a video and ended up with awkward black bars, weird cropping, or stretched faces – yep, that’s an aspect ratio issue. Let’s fix that.

Wait, What Is Aspect Ratio?

In simple terms, aspect ratio can be defined as the shape of your video. It’s the ratio between its width and height — like 16:9 (widescreen) or 9:16 (vertical). It tells the platform how to frame your content.

Each platform – YouTube, Instagram, TikTok – has its preferred shape. Using the wrong one? That’s like trying to hang a landscape painting in a portrait frame.

Quick Math: How to Work Out Aspect Ratio

This is the only math bit, promise.

To calculate aspect ratio, divide the width by the height. So if your video is 1920 pixels wide and 1080 pixels tall:

This is known as the 1920 x 1080 aspect ratio, and it’s the most commonly used format online.

Most editing tools handle this automatically, but it helps to understand what’s happening behind the scenes.

Why Aspect Ratio is important

Choosing the right ratio helps your video look polished and professional everywhere. Get it wrong, and your visuals might get cropped, squished, or boxed in by black bars.

The right aspect ratio = more views, better engagement, and a more professional feel.
The wrong one = scroll past. Ouch.

Instagram Aspect Ratio

The Instagram aspect ratio you choose depends on where your content will appear:

• Reels & Stories: 9:16 (vertical), 1080 × 1920 px
• Feed posts: 1:1 (square, 1080 × 1080 px) or 4:5 (portrait, 1080 × 1350 px)
• Profile grid preview: crops taller posts to 4:5

💡 Tip: Keep key elements centred, especially for feed posts — Instagram will crop your content differently depending on the view (grid vs feed).

YouTube Aspect Ratio

The standard YouTube aspect ratio is 16:9, which means a resolution like 1920 × 1080 px (Full HD) or 3840 × 2160 px (4K). This is ideal for horizontal, widescreen content.

For YouTube Shorts, the format flips — they use a 9:16 aspect ratio with a vertical layout (1080 × 1920 px), just like TikTok and Instagram Reels.

💡 Tip: YouTube auto-adjusts content to fit the screen, but uploading the correct ratio ensures a cleaner, more professional playback across devices.

Common Aspect Ratios and Where to Use Them

Some platforms are strict about what they want, while others are more flexible. Here’s a breakdown of the most common aspect ratios used in marketing and social media:

Can You Change Aspect Ratio After Filming?

Yes, but with caveats.

Cropping your footage can cut out key details. Padding it (letterboxing or pillarboxing) can make it look less polished. Best practice? Shoot in high resolution (like 4K), so you have wiggle room to crop later.

Here’s how to futureproof your footage:

• Frame your subject with extra space around them
• Avoid overly tight shots
• Use multiple cameras or orientations if possible

When we shoot stop motion, we use stills cameras with a 3:2 aspect ratio and frame slightly wider to allow flexibility for vertical formats.

Final Thoughts: Plan Ahead and Save Yourself the Headache

Aspect ratio isn’t just a technical detail– it’s a creative decision that affects how your audience sees and feels your content.

So before you hit record, think about where your video will live. A bit of planning goes a long way.

Remember: your content deserves to be seen in its best light (or frame).

And if you do decide that you need a different aspect ratio after you’ve shot your film, you may be able to extend the frames using AI.