Many people understand aspect ratio instinctively. Others do not. Aspect ratio is an important consideration when dealing with prints or artwork intended to go on your wall or desk in a frame. So it’s worth taking a moment to understand. What, exactly, is aspect ratio? In the simplest terms, it means “It’s this many wide and this many tall”. 8 x 10, for example, means it measure 8 things on one edge, and 10 on the other. If you rotate it 90% it will be 10 x 8 things. Inches, feet, kilometres. Doesn’t matter. It’s a ratio. This many by that many.
I used X above for the dimensions, but ratios are usually written in the format ‘X:Y’. 4:5 or 4:6 to indicate the relationship is a ratio rather than a fixed size. Algebra. Wow. The thing to know is that ratios scale. A 4:5 ratio can print at 4 x 5, 8 x 10, or 16 x 20. A 4:6 can be 8 x 12, 16 x 24 and so on. These sizes may look familiar. They are standard frame sizes.
The important thing is that size may change, but proportions do not change in relationship to each other. Still confused? Let’s fix that. Watch this video to see some practical examples. It will help.
Prints and products for all images by request.
Subscribers get more. Get exclusive discounts and content delivered right to your Inbox.
Leave comments below.