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Graphic Design vocabulary · Image Formats & Resolution

Aspect ratio

Meaning in graphic design, with examples

/ˈæspɛkt ˌreɪʃioʊ/nounCommon term

In graphic design, aspect ratio means: The relationship between the width and height of an image or screen, written as two numbers such as 16:9, 1:1 or 4:5.

In Turkish: en-boy oranı

How it is used

Used in video, social media and web work. You keep, change or lock the aspect ratio; social platforms need different ratios for feed posts, stories and covers. Say ‘sixteen by nine’ or ‘sixteen to nine’.

Example sentences

  1. The video is 16:9, but stories need a 9:16 aspect ratio, so we'll recompose it.

  2. Hold Shift while resizing to keep the aspect ratio; the logo looks stretched.

Common collocations

  • keep the aspect ratio
  • lock the aspect ratio
  • square aspect ratio
  • 16:9 aspect ratio
  • pixelThe smallest single point of colour in a digital image or on a screen. Raster images are made of thousands or millions of pixels arranged in a grid.
  • resolutionThe amount of detail in a digital image, shown by how many pixels it has or how many pixels or dots fit into one inch. Print usually needs about 300 dpi at final size.
  • scaleThe size of an element compared with other elements or with the whole design. Changing scale creates contrast, drama and a clear order of importance.
  • raster imageA digital image made of a grid of tiny coloured squares called pixels, such as a photo. It has a fixed resolution, so it loses quality when enlarged too much.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Image Formats & Resolution

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