What is an aspect ratio, and how does it affect my prints?
The aspect ratio of a picture becomes important when you want to print it. Different size prints, like a 4″ x 6″ or 8″ x 10″ print, have different aspect ratios. The size of the print may, or may not, correspond to the aspect ratio of the original picture. If it doesn’t, some parts of the picture may have to be sacrificed, or the paper trimmed to the picture’s size. An aspect ratio represents the relationship between the width and height. For example, you have a 4″ x 6″ print, it’s aspect ratio would be 1.5:1 (6″ / 4″ = 1.5), or 1.5″ of width for every 1″ of height. An aspect ratio of 1:1 is a perfect square. You can also get the aspect ratio of a picture by using it’s resolution. For example, if you have a picture with a resolution of 2560 x 1920, it’s aspect ratio will be 1.33:1 (2560 / 1920 = 1.33). The aspect ratio of different print formats varies considerably. For example, a 4″ x 6″ print has an aspect ratio of 1.5:1, whereas an 8″ x 10″ print has an aspect ratio of 1.25:1. This
