Media Strategy Lab

Free editing tool

Aspect Ratio Converter
exact crop windows and frame loss

Enter your source resolution, pick a target ratio, and see the exact crop window in pixels plus how much of the frame you lose. It is the number you need before deciding whether footage can be reframed or has to be reshot.

Last updated · Reviewed by the Media Strategy Lab edit team

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Benchmark data from our 1.2B+ view dataset

Aggregated from short-form campaigns produced by Media Strategy Lab in 2025-2026.

38%

median hook retention

22%

3-sec drop-off

31s

avg. watch time

problem-statement or pattern-interrupt

best hook type

2.1 cuts per 10s

cut density

Format and pacing profile

dominant format

Talking head + supporting B-roll

shot length

2-4 seconds

B-roll ratio

40:60 B-roll to face

pacing note

Lead with the hook, cut on breaths, use text reinforcement at 3-5s intervals.

Clean dialogue with a music bed ducking -20 LUFS under voice.

Technical specifications

9:16 delivery1080×1920
4:5 delivery1080×1350
1:1 delivery1080×1080
16:9 delivery1920×1080
2.39:1 delivery1920×803
1080p → 9:16 crop608×1080 (needs upscale)
4K → 9:16 crop1216×2160 (no upscale)
Reframe thresholdAbove 40% loss, reframe per shot

Buyer context and objections

who buys

Marketers, editors and founders planning video work

typical budget

Free tool — retainers from $2,495/mo

common objection

Do I need a vendor at all for this?

failed prior attempt

Planning video budgets and schedules from guesswork

Our 5-step process

  1. 01

    Brief and audit — we review your goals, past performance and raw material before touching a timeline.

  2. 02

    Hook extraction — every asset is scanned for the highest-retention 1-3 second opener.

  3. 03

    Native edit — pacing, captions, safe zones and sound are tuned to the destination platform.

  4. 04

    Revision rounds — two included rounds with timestamped comments, no ticket queue.

  5. 05

    Delivery pack — masters, verticals, captions, thumbnails and a posting brief in one drop.

Case example

A conference client ran their stage footage through this before committing to a repurposing package. At 68 percent loss on a 1080p source they chose 4:5 instead of 9:16 for the archive material and shot 4K at the next event, which made the following year's vertical clips native quality.

Keep going: Video Editing for Retail Brands — built for foot traffic, product love and local fame, TikTok Video Editing — built for the first 3 seconds, Agency vs Freelancer Cost — including the hours nobody invoices for.

Pricing anchor

Our monthly retainers start at $2,495/mo for 15 shorts and scale to $3,995/mo for 30 shorts plus long-form support. Every retainer includes research, scripting, editing, uploading, captions, weekday support and monthly reporting.

View packages

The forty percent rule

Below about 40 percent frame loss a single static crop usually works. Above it, subjects drift out of frame and a static crop starts decapitating people, so you need per-shot keyframed reframing or a different composition strategy such as split-screen stacking.

Running this calculation before a shoot is more useful than after: it tells you whether to shoot 4K, frame centrally, or capture a dedicated vertical angle.

Why 4K matters for vertical

Cropping 1080p to 9:16 leaves 608 pixels of width, below the 1080 needed for vertical delivery, so the result is upscaled and soft. Cropping 4K leaves 1216 pixels — above delivery resolution, with room to reframe.

If you only upgrade one thing about your capture, make it shooting the primary camera in 4K. It converts your entire archive into vertical-ready material.

Aspect ratio and reframing calculator

Interactive, no email required. Numbers come from our own production data.

Target ratio

Crop window from source

608 × 1080

Deliver at 1080 × 1920 — TikTok, Reels, Shorts.

Frame area lost

68%

Above 40% you should reframe shot-by-shot rather than apply a single static crop.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate a crop for a different aspect ratio?

Compare source and target ratios. If the source is wider, the crop height equals the source height and the width equals height times target ratio. If it is taller, the crop width equals source width and the height equals width divided by target ratio. The calculator above does both.

How much quality do I lose cropping 1080p to vertical?

You lose about 68 percent of frame area and end with a 608×1080 window, which must be upscaled to reach 1080×1920 delivery. The result is visibly softer. Shooting 4K removes the problem entirely.

Is 4:5 better than 9:16 for repurposed footage?

Often yes. 4:5 retains far more of a horizontal frame and still occupies most of a feed on Instagram and LinkedIn. It underperforms 9:16 in full-screen surfaces such as Reels, Shorts and TikTok, so choose by placement.

What resolution should I deliver vertical video at?

1080×1920. Higher vertical resolutions are downscaled by every major platform and only slow your upload. Ensure the crop window is at least that size before upscaling anything.

Can I convert without cropping?

Yes, by letterboxing or adding a blurred background fill, but both waste screen area and read as recycled content. Use them for occasional wide establishing shots, not as your default conversion method.

Does the calculator account for safe zones?

No — it calculates the crop geometry. Layer safe zones on top: keep essential content inside a centred 780×1080 region of the vertical frame, clear of platform UI at the top, bottom and right.

Get a sample edit for Aspect Ratio Converter

Want the numbers checked against your actual footage? Send us a sample and we'll come back with a real plan.

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