How to use the 3:2 Aspect Ratio calculator
Choose a mode
Resize by Aspect Ratio keeps 3:2. Calculate Aspect Ratio reads the ratio from two pixel sides.
Enter the numbers
The form opens at 3:2. Change the width or the height, or type both pixel sides.
Read the result
A width of 1920 is 1280 tall at 3:2.
Summarize with
| Size | MP | Name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 720×480 | 0.3456 | NTSC SD (480i/p) |
35mm sensors and 4×6 prints
3:2 matches classic 35 mm stills and most APS-C/full-frame camera sensors. Prints at 4×6 inch are 3:2. It is wider than 4:3 and narrower than 16:9.
A 6000×4000 file from a full-frame body is 3:2 and 24 megapixels. The 3:2 aspect ratio is the sensor, not a quality setting. Phone “photo” modes that start at 4:3 and offer a 3:2 crop are throwing away rows to match this paper, not becoming more professional.
A 6000×4000 still from a full-frame body is 3:2 and 24 MP. Cropping that to 16:9 for a YouTube thumbnail removes a strip of sky or foreground. Pad instead if the whole 3:2 frame is the photograph.
Phone “photo” modes that start at 4:3 and offer a 3:2 crop are discarding sensor rows. That is fine for sharing; it is not “more professional,” it is just matching 135-format paper.
From 135 film to digital SLRs
135 format film is 36×24 mm, which simplifies to 3:2. Digital SLRs kept the sensor shape. Phone cameras often start closer to 4:3 and crop to 3:2 in a stills mode.
4×6 inch lab paper is the everyday 3:2 print. 5×7 is closer to 3:2 than to 4:3, but it is not exact. Do not force-fit it in the calculator and call it 3:2. 8×10 is 4:5, a different page.
Sending a 3:2 still to YouTube
A 3:2 photograph heading to 16:9 loses a band along the long side if you crop, which is often sky. Pad instead when the whole frame is the picture. Coming the other way, a 1920×1080 frame trimmed to 3:2 is 1620×1080; padding it is 1920×1280.
The portrait swap is 2:3, which Pinterest cites for standard pins. 3:2 video is uncommon; broadcast uses 16:9.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 4×6 print exactly 3:2?
Yes. 6÷4 = 1.5, and 3÷2 = 1.5. 5×7 is close and not exact. 8×10 is 4:5, a different page.
What is 3:2 on a full-frame file?
A typical 6000×4000 capture. Divide by 2000 and you are back at 3:2. The 3:2 aspect ratio stays put when you scale both sides.
Should I crop 3:2 for a thumbnail?
Crop when the subject can lose sky or floor. Pad when the photograph is the whole 3:2 frame and a 16:9 player must not cut it.
Where is the portrait version?
Rotate the frame and you get 2:3, which is the Pinterest pin and the upright 4×6. That page does not repeat this sensor history.