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Photography vocabulary · Composition

Aspect ratio

Meaning in photography, with examples

/ˈæspekt ˌreɪʃioʊ/nounCommon term

In photography, aspect ratio means: The relationship between the width and the height of an image, written as two numbers such as 3:2, 4:3, 16:9 or 1:1.

In Turkish: en-boy oranı, görüntü oranı

How it is used

Most full-frame and APS-C sensors are 3:2, while many compact and Micro Four Thirds cameras are 4:3. Social media formats and print sizes each need their own ratio, so photographers crop to 4:5 for an Instagram feed or an 8×10-inch print.

Example sentences

  1. What aspect ratio do you need for the website banner?

  2. Cropping a 3:2 image to a 1:1 aspect ratio cuts off a lot from the sides.

Common collocations

  • change the aspect ratio
  • 3:2 aspect ratio
  • square aspect ratio
  • keep the aspect ratio
  • cropTo cut away the outer parts of a photo to improve the composition, remove distractions or fit a particular shape.
  • orientationWhether a photo is taller than it is wide (portrait orientation) or wider than it is tall (landscape orientation).
  • framingDeciding exactly what is inside the edges of the photo and what is left out, and where the subject sits in the frame.
  • printA photograph produced on paper or another material, such as canvas or metal, from a digital file or a negative.

This word in other fields

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

More terms: Composition

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