Image sizes and ratios for Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and passports
A photo that looks great on your phone can get cut in odd places once it is posted. Cropping to the right shape first lets you decide what stays in the frame.
What an aspect ratio is
An aspect ratio is the width compared with the height. A ratio of 4:5 means 4 units wide for every 5 units tall, a gently tall rectangle. Cropping to a ratio keeps the shape right without stretching the picture.
Common shapes and where they fit
Platforms change their layouts from time to time, so check the app if a recommended size matters, for example for an advert.
- 1:1 (square): profile pictures, square posts and many thumbnails.
- 4:5 (portrait): a popular tall shape for feed posts, as it takes more room on a phone screen.
- 9:16 (tall): Stories, Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
- 16:9 (wide): YouTube videos and thumbnails, which are commonly 1280 x 720 pixels.
- 2:3 (portrait): Pinterest pins, commonly 1000 x 1500 pixels.
Passport and ID photos
Many countries, including the UK, most of Europe, Australia and Bangladesh, use a 35 x 45 mm photo, which is a 7:9 ratio. The United States uses a 2 x 2 inch square. Always check the exact rules, because backgrounds, head size and file sizes are also specified.
How to crop
- Open the image cropper and drop in your photo.
- Choose the ratio from the list, for example 4:5 or 9:16.
- Drag the box to frame the subject, and drag a corner to make it bigger or smaller. The shape stays locked.
- Press Crop and download.
Crop, then resize, then compress
Cropping only cuts out part of the picture, at the original quality. If you then need exact pixel dimensions, use the image resizer. If the file is too large to upload, use the image compressor last.