What resizing does
Proportional resizing changes the width and height by the same scale factor, preserving the original aspect ratio. A 1920 × 1080 video resized to 1280 pixels wide becomes 1280 × 720. The frame looks the same shape, just with fewer pixels.
Use the video resolution converter to calculate a matching dimension, or the image resize calculator for still images.
What cropping does
Cropping removes parts of the frame to fit a target shape. If you crop a 1920 × 1080 landscape frame to a square while keeping the full height, the centered crop is 1080 × 1080 and removes 420 pixels from each side. That may work for a centered subject, but important content near the edges can be lost.
Try the video crop calculator to estimate the crop dimensions before editing.
What about letterboxing or padding?
If you need to preserve the entire original image in a different-shaped canvas, you can fit it inside the canvas and leave empty space around it. This avoids cropping but may introduce bars or background space. A blurred background fill is another design choice, but it should be intentional.
Which should you choose?
| Goal | Best starting point |
|---|---|
| Smaller file dimensions, same shape | Resize proportionally |
| Fill a square or vertical frame | Crop or reframe |
| Show the entire landscape video in a vertical canvas | Fit or pad the frame |
| Change width and height independently | Avoid stretching; it distorts the picture |
Frequently asked questions
Does cropping reduce resolution?
Cropping reduces the number of pixels retained from the original frame. The cropped result can then be exported at a chosen resolution, but scaling it up does not restore removed detail.
Can I change 16:9 video to 9:16 by resizing?
Not while filling the entire vertical frame and preserving the original image shape. You need to crop/reframe, or fit the full landscape image inside the vertical canvas with empty space.
Should I crop before or after resizing?
Editing workflows vary. Conceptually, decide the framing and target ratio first, then export at the intended pixel dimensions. Avoid repeated lossy exports.
Calculate a crop before opening your editor.
Open video crop calculator