Mavericks Docs

Aspect Ratios Guide

Comprehensive guide to video aspect ratios for social media platforms

Understanding Aspect Ratios

Aspect ratio refers to the proportional relationship between a video's width and height. It's typically expressed as two numbers separated by a colon (e.g., 16:9), where the first number represents width and the second represents height.

Common Aspect Ratios

- Aspect Ratio Dimensions (Example) Description Best For
  • 16:9
 1920×1080 Horizontal/Landscape YouTube, TV, desktop viewing
  • 9:16
 1080×1920 Vertical/Portrait Stories, Shorts, TikTok, Reels
  • 1:1
 1080×1080 Square Instagram feed, Facebook feed
  • 4:5
 1080×1350 Vertical rectangle Instagram feed
  • 2.39:1
 1920×803 Cinematic widescreen Film-like content

Platform-Specific Recommendations

Instagram

- Parameter Specification
  • Feed Posts
 1:1 (square), 4:5 (portrait), or 16:9 (landscape)
  • Reels
 9:16 (vertical)
  • Stories
 9:16 (vertical)
  • IGTV
 9:16 (vertical) or 16:9 (horizontal)

TikTok

- Parameter Specification
  • Standard Videos
 9:16 (vertical)
  • TikTok also supports
 1:1 (square) and 16:9 (horizontal), but vertical is strongly recommended

YouTube

- Parameter Specification
  • Standard Videos
 16:9 (horizontal)
  • Shorts
 9:16 (vertical)
  • YouTube also supports
 4:3 (traditional TV), but 16:9 is recommended

Facebook

- Parameter Specification
  • Feed Posts
 16:9 (horizontal), 1:1 (square), or 9:16 (vertical)
  • Stories
 9:16 (vertical)
  • Reels
 9:16 (vertical)

Twitter/X

- Parameter Specification
  • Timeline Videos
 16:9 (horizontal) is recommended
  • Also supports
 1:1 (square) and 9:16 (vertical)

LinkedIn

- Parameter Specification
  • Standard Videos
 16:9 (horizontal) is recommended
  • Also supports
 1:1 (square) and 9:16 (vertical)

Best Practices

  1. Know your platform: Each platform has preferred aspect ratios that perform best.
  2. Consider viewing environment: Think about where and how your audience will view your content.
  3. Plan for multi-platform: If distributing across platforms, consider creating versions in different aspect ratios.
  4. Safe zones: Keep important content within the center 80% of the frame to avoid cropping issues.
  5. Test before publishing: Preview your content on the actual platform before finalizing.

Technical Considerations

  • Resolution: Higher resolution is better, but ensure it meets platform specifications.
  • Pixel Aspect Ratio: Most digital video uses square pixels (1:1 PAR).
  • Cropping: Be aware that some platforms may crop your video to fit their preferred aspect ratio.
  • Title Safe Areas: Keep text and important elements away from the edges of the frame.