ToolEvery platform crops differently, and nothing says "reposted without care" like a video with its top chopped off or an image squashed to fit. The fix is knowing two numbers per platform: the aspect ratio (the shape) and the recommended resolution (the size). Here's the current cheat sheet, followed by the three rules that make all of it easy to remember.
YouTube
- Standard videos: 16:9 — upload 1920×1080 (Full HD) or 3840×2160 (4K).
- Shorts: 9:16 — 1080×1920.
- Thumbnails: 16:9 — 1280×720 (minimum width 640).
- Channel banner: 16:9 area within 2560×1440; keep essentials inside the central 1546×423 "safe area" that shows on all devices.
- Feed (portrait, recommended): 4:5 — 1080×1350. Portrait takes the most screen space in the feed.
- Feed (square): 1:1 — 1080×1080. The classic, still fully supported.
- Reels & Stories: 9:16 — 1080×1920. Keep text away from the top and bottom ~250 px, where UI overlays sit.
- Profile picture: 1:1, displayed as a circle — keep the subject centered.
TikTok
- Videos: 9:16 — 1080×1920. Full-screen vertical is the entire language of the platform.
- Safe zones matter more than anywhere else: captions, buttons, and the description overlay the video. Keep critical content in the middle ~80% of the frame.
X (Twitter)
- Single image: 16:9 — 1600×900 displays cleanly without cropping in the timeline.
- Two images side by side: each crops toward 7:8 — near-square images survive best.
- Header: 3:1 — 1500×500.
- Shared images: 1.91:1 — 1200×627 for link previews and standard posts.
- Square posts: 1:1 — 1080×1080 also performs well in the feed.
- Company banner: 4:1 — 1128×191.
The three rules that replace memorization
Rule 1: There are really only four shapes. Almost everything above is 16:9 (landscape video), 9:16 (vertical video), 1:1 (square), or 4:5 (portrait photo). Produce your content in one "master" shape and plan the crop to the others before you shoot — center the action, leave breathing room top and bottom.
Rule 2: Scale, never stretch. Resizing within the same aspect ratio (1920×1080 → 1280×720) is always safe. Changing the ratio requires cropping, never stretching — a stretched face is the most recognizable amateur mistake on the internet. If you need a 4:5 crop of a 16:9 frame, you're keeping the middle ~42% of the width; know that before you compose the shot.
Rule 3: When math is needed, don't do it in your head. "What height keeps 16:9 at 1440 wide?" is exactly the kind of arithmetic humans fumble at 11 pm before a deadline. Our free aspect ratio calculator locks any ratio and fills in the missing dimension instantly — with presets for every shape in this article.
Quick reference table
- 16:9 → 1280×720 · 1920×1080 · 2560×1440 · 3840×2160
- 9:16 → 720×1280 · 1080×1920
- 1:1 → 1080×1080
- 4:5 → 1080×1350
- 1.91:1 → 1200×627
- 3:1 → 1500×500
- 4:1 → 1128×191
Platforms tweak recommended pixel sizes every year or two, but the ratios have been stable for much longer — learn the shapes, calculate the sizes, and your content will survive every redesign.