Standard Photo Sizes [A Complete Guide] – Movavi

There are two reasons why we might want to resize photographs: to print them or to display them online. Small photos (i.e. postcard size) will need to be printed differently to big photos (i.e. poster size), and the quality of the paper also impacts what resize settings we use. The same is true for online use of digital photos, where height and width are restricted by the size and shape of the viewing device and the quality of said image impacts how fast or slow it loads on computers and webpages.

Both print and online photo use are almost identical in every way, but each have their own specific requirements and limitations. Both print and online images are made up of height and width, and contain many points of color to represent what’s in the photograph. For print, these points of color are called ‘dots’, in digital photos they’re referred to as ‘pixels’. A typical dot consists of four colors: Cyan; Magenta; Yellow and Key (Black), aka CMYK. Whereas each digital pixel is made from combining three colors: Red; Green and Blue (RGB). These dots and pixels combine together to create a photograph.

However, neither dots nor pixels have a standardized size. So that means the resolution of an image (how many dots/pixels that make up a photo) is determined by how many dots/pixels are along its width and its height, like this: 1800 × 1200. The more you have, the greater the image detail.

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What is a standard photo size? Standard photo print sizes are measured in inches or millimeters because they’re physical, tangible items. Photo print sizes also have a print resolution (measured in Dots Per Inch) that is determined by the absorption of the paper a photo is printed on. If paper is coarse and the ink bleeds easily, then a lower resolution of, say, 100 DPI may be all that’s required because the bleeding limits how fine the details are rendered. However, if paper is smoother and doesn’t allow the ink to run as much, then a finer resolution can be used. For example, a broadsheet newspaper might be printed at 100 DPI, whereas on glossy photo paper or in glossy magazines it could be increased to 300 DPI to give higher definition.

Standard picture sizes are determined by historical print reproduction and are generally regarded as being measured in inches. Normal picture sizes are as follows: 8 × 10, 7 × 5, 6 × 4, and 2 × 3. Square crop photos can also be used, for example, the smallest usually being 1 × 1.

But what size is a standard photo? Photo sizes are measured in inches or millimeters since they are physical and tangible items. The print resolution of a photo size, measured in Dots Per Inch (DPI), is determined by the paper's absorption. If the paper is coarse, then printer ink easily bleeds through the medium. For this, a lower resolution of 100 DPI may suffice for accuracy. The bleeding limits the details that can be rendered finely. However, if the paper is smoother and doesn't allow the ink to run as much, a finer resolution can be used. A broadsheet newspaper, for instance, may be printed at 100 DPI, while a higher definition of 300 DPI can be used on glossy photo paper or in glossy magazines because the paper can produce better clarity in images. Standard picture sizes are determined by historical print reproduction and are usually measured in inches due to their existence before the metric system was introduced. The typical picture sizes are 8 × 10, 7 × 5, 6 × 4, and 2 × 3. Additionally, square crop photos can be used, with the smallest usually being 1 × 1. Below are the most common photo sizes in inches, plus different photo sizes examples.

One of the commonest photo sizes utilized in print, 6 × 4 is most closely associated with postage cards or small photo print. A normal photo size with an aspect ratio of 3:2 it’s 50% longer (or taller) than it is wide (or short, depending on orientation). Incidentally, it’s also the same exact aspect ratio as a traditional 35mm film cell, or DSLR.

Just slightly larger than the 6 × 4 mentioned above, 5 × 7 inch images hold an almost identical aspect ratio but allows wider negative space around the edge for margins or framing. 5 × 7 inches is generally the next size up when you need to develop 35mm film, too.

Holding a much squarer crop than the aforementioned sizes, 8 × 10 inches gives 5:4 aspect ratio. Many painters and traditional photographers prefer to create images in this ratio, especially where wide vistas and landscapes aren’t required.

Want that same 6 × 4 framing but just… bigger? Then 12 × 18 is exactly what you’re after. Just be sure that, depending on your required Dots Per Inch (DPI) your camera (if taking photos) is shooting as high enough resolution. This should only matter for printing 300DPI or more.

Have you ever wondered how digital image sizes are measured for the web? Well, they are measured in pixels because different viewing devices like laptops, tablets, and smartphones have screens with individual pixels that display red, green, and blue lights to create each pixel on the screen. The resolution is measured in pixels per inch (PPI) and determines the density of pixels. Just like in printing, the higher the PPI, the finer the detail in image reproduction.

Resizing photos can be tricky because the size of pixels on a screen varies, meaning that a 50” screen could have the same resolution as a 12” screen. Digital photo resolution is measured at a standard rate regardless of the device. Therefore, when preparing photos for online use, the only factors that change are the length and width of the image and the amount of compression used to make the file small enough to load quickly on slow internet speeds. Ultimately, the file size of a photo is more important than its resolution because large files take longer to load, which can negatively impact a website's search engine optimization and cause it to rank lower in search engine results.

When it comes to sharing photographs online, there aren't any restrictions on their size or shape, except for social media platform’s size restrictions. However, many websites use standard aspect ratio crops to fit images into their layout. For instance, 16:9 picture dimensions are commonly used, which results in a letterbox shape on the screen, regardless of the image resolution. Instagram, for example, uses 1:1 crops to create square photos, and currently, the resolution they use is 1080 × 1080 pixels. Although, they now also allow for landscape and portrait orientations of rectangle shaped photos.

When High Definition (HD) quality was first introduced, it pertained mainly to video. The minimum resolution required for the ‘HD’ label to be applied was 1280 × 720. However, ‘Full HD’ was soon sought after and this has a resolution of 1920 × 1080. The higher the resolution, the more detail that be displayed but it also requires larger file sizes and big bandwidths when loading images online. It contains the typical letterbox shape, which has an aspect ratio of 16:9.

Another term derived from video and film. This is now the standard picture print size for some ‘HD’ TV channels and features four times the resolution detail that Full HD gives. Typically, the longest side gives around 4000 pixels but there are two picture sizes: DCI and UHD. DCI is slightly wider and therefore has greater pixel resolution.

Nowadays, sharing photography on social media has become a fundamental aspect of both commercial work and personal photography. Therefore, it is crucial to make sure that each image appears at its best on a specific platform. Since various social media sites and applications format images differently, it's best to be aware of the correct sizes and aspect ratios to format your photos that conform to the standard sizes. Below is a quick rundown of the correct sizes and aspect ratios that you should use to make your photos look their best.

Square crop – 1080 × 1080, 1:1 aspect ratio
Horizontal orientation – 1080 × 566, 1.91:1 aspect ratio
Vertical orientation – 1080 × 1350, 4:5 aspect ratio
Instagram Stories – 1080 × 1920, 0.56:1 aspect ratio

Profile photo – 165 × 165, 1:1 aspect ratio
Board cover photo – 222 × 150, 1.48:1 aspect ratio
Pin sizes (vertical orientation) – 735 × 1102, 0.67:1 aspect ratio

Profile photo – 170 × 170, 1:1 aspect ratio
Horizontal orientation – 1200 × 630, 1.9:1 aspect ratio
Vertical orientation – 630 × 1200, 0.53:1 aspect ratio
Square crop – 1200 × 1200, 1:1 aspect ratio
Facebook Stories – 1080 × 1920, 0.56:1 aspect ratio
Cover photo – 851 × 315, 2.7:1 aspect ratio

Profile photo – 400 × 400, 1:1 aspect ratio
Horizontal orientation – 1200 × 627, 1.91:1 aspect ratio
Vertical orientation – 627 × 1200, 0.52:1 aspect ratio
Cover photo – 1128 × 191, 5.91:1 aspect ratio

Did you know that there are standard print sizes regulated by the International Standards Organization and categorized into A, B, and C series? Among these, A series is the most commonly used. To help you better understand photo sizes, we have prepared a photo size chart conversion guide that will allow you to convert pixels to inches. The guide is based on a resolution of 300 DPI/PPI and it lists regular photo sizes in inches. Below we’ll convert inches to pixels and centimeters as you’d commonly find in a photo sizes chart and include the common photo sizes in pixels for print to web conversion.

A4 size is 210 mm × 297 mm (8.27” × 11.69”) in pixels at 300 DPI = 2480 × 3508 or 72 DPI = 595 × 842.

There are some common aspect ratio sizes of pictures that will pop up again and again, whether you’re formatting photos for print, use on the web, or preparing them ready for inclusion in videos. See our chart below for some common aspect ratios and their uses.

Uses: Square crops, usually used for online profile photos but can work equally well on Instagram posts or photos that are inherently symmetrical.

Uses: Historically the aspect ratio of analogue 35mm film, digital cameras have inherited this standard in image sensors today and is likely what your digital camera will shoot at default.

Uses: Another traditional aspect ratio that has roots in television broadcasting, before the advent of High Definition widescreen, adopted by photographers and filmmakers.

Uses: Widescreen television and full HD video recording use this aspect ratio as it offers greater horizontal detail than 4:3 as listed above.

Are you looking for a way to spruce up your photo wall display or desktop background? Small-sized images are the perfect choice! They complement rectangular images and help square off awkward sections when images are hung on a wall. 

Synonymous with basic Polaroid prints but equally at home in art galleries, square-sized images work well with scenes that are symmetrical but also don’t require horizontal or vertical preferential orientation.

Panoramic images are ideal for landscape scenes or scenes where extreme horizontal detail add to the width of an image. Typically, these are presented horizontally but can also be displayed vertically, this is better viewed on mobile devices, for instance.

Overall, standard photo sizes are used in all manner of applications, from print to web, and vary between websites and social media platforms, as noted above. Editing photos to present in the correct aspect ratio is crucial to maintaining detail and clarity in imagery. To do this, we recommend using Movavi Photo Editor which is also a comprehensive photo editor in its own right.