Aspect fit: fit an image on a screen

Calculate how an image with a specific aspect ratio fits on a screen with a different aspect ratio. See whether letterboxing, pillarboxing, or cropping is needed.

Analysis

Input Summary

Image Dimensions

1920 × 1080
A/R: 1.778

Screen Dimensions

2048 × 1080
A/R: 1.896

Aspect Fit

93.8% overlap

Image is padded

Image is pillar-boxed
(black is added left and right to fill the screen)

Results

Actual Pixels Used

Full image resolution = 1920 x 1080

Is rescaled to = 1920 x 1080 (100%)

and then padded to 2048 x 1080 (106.7%)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is letterboxing?

Letterboxing adds black bars above and below the image when the image is wider than the screen. This preserves the full width of the image while fitting it within the screen height.

What is pillarboxing?

Pillarboxing adds black bars on the left and right of the image when the image is taller/narrower than the screen. This preserves the full height while fitting within the screen width.

When should I crop vs pad?

Padding (letterbox/pillarbox) preserves the entire image but leaves black bars. Cropping fills the entire screen but removes parts of the image. Choose based on whether showing the complete image or filling the screen is more important.

What aspect ratio is best for video?

Common video aspect ratios are 16:9 (HD/4K), 2.39:1 (cinema widescreen), and 4:3 (legacy TV). Most modern displays use 16:9, so content in that ratio will fill the screen without letterboxing or pillarboxing.