How to use the 1:1 Aspect Ratio calculator
Choose a mode
Resize by Aspect Ratio keeps 1:1. Calculate Aspect Ratio reads the ratio from two pixel sides.
Enter the numbers
The form opens at 1:1. Change the width or the height, or type both pixel sides.
Read the result
A width of 1080 is 1080 tall at 1:1.
Summarize with
Square pics, avatars and album covers
1:1 is square: album covers, profile tiles and Instagram’s original feed crop. 1080×1080 is the usual social master.
Profile photos, app icons and jacket art still assume a square even when a feed allows taller crops. Ship the 1:1 aspect ratio at 1080×1080 when the file has to survive recompression on a grid.
Album artwork, app icons and profile tiles still assume a square. 1080×1080 is the social default because it is large enough for a feed and small enough to recompress well.
Why squares outlived the square-only feed
Medium-format 6×6 cameras made square a photographic default. Instagram launched as a square-only feed, then added 4:5 and landscape. The ratio never went away for icons and music artwork.
Instagram no longer requires a square feed, but 1:1 remains the crop that wastes the least of a 4:5 or 16:9 master when you need a tidy grid. Equal margins are easier to reason about than a 4:5 punch-in.
Making a landscape photo square
A 1920×1080 photo trimmed to a square is 1080×1080. Keeping the whole landscape and adding bars above and below produces a 1920×1920 canvas. Centre the face before you trim; the tool reports the window size, not where the window sits.
A 1:1 video is unusual for streaming and common for product loops. Convert from 16:9 by cropping left and right, or pad if the product must stay fully visible.
When a square wastes the portrait
Any non-square source loses equal margins on two sides when cropped to 1:1. Padding a 16:9 clip to 1:1 adds bars above and below.
Frequently asked questions
What size should a square avatar be?
1080×1080 is the usual social master: large enough for a feed, small enough to recompress. Any equal pair (512×512, 400×400) is the same shape.
Does Instagram still require a square?
No. The feed also accepts 4:5 and landscape. A 1:1 aspect ratio remains the tidy grid crop, and the one that wastes equal margins on a wider original.
How do I square a 16:9 photo without stretching?
Trim to 1080×1080 if the subject is centred, or pad to 1920×1920 if the edges must survive. Stretching turns a circle into an oval.
Is album artwork the same shape as a profile photo?
Yes. Both are square. The pixel count can differ; the shape does not.