Videos are essential for any online platform. Unfortunately, different video platforms use aspect ratios. So if you want to post the same video on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, you’ll need a video resizer.
Your average MP4 resizer offers different methods to resize videos. We’re going to explore four common methods to change the size of videos.
Reasons for Resizing
Resizing your video will not only make it visually smaller, it will also use less data. Here are some of the advantages of resizing videos:
- Optimal viewing. You need a different size to make an engaging TikTok video, for example, than you do for a video that goes on your blog. You can resize videos to fit better for their intended platform.
- Data sharing. Platforms have size limits on the videos you can upload. Some platforms will automatically compress videos that are too large.
- Data storage. Your gadgets might not work optimally if all their storage is used for videos. You can make videos with smaller files to free up storage space.
- Upload speed. A smaller file will upload faster. If you want a lot of people to see this video, using a smaller video will let people see it even if they don’t have a great internet connection.
How to Resize a Video
There are plenty of free and paid tools that are made to let you easily resize a video online and offline. Some of our top choices for 2023 include:
Remember that some tools will require you to buy the software if you want to download your videos with no watermark. Each video editor offers multiple solutions to resize your video. Here are some of the most common methods to change the size of a video.
Resizing through Scale
The scale of a video is measured by dimension and resolution. The dimension of a video is its width and height in pixels. The resolution is the pixel count used to make up an image. The easiest way to resize a video without losing image quality is to lower the dimensions, this way you won’t have to alter the resolution.
Let’s say you have a video that’s shot in HD. Most HD videos have dimensions of 1920×1080 pixels. That can easily be shrunk to 1280×780 while maintaining the same image quality. If you want to use this function as a video enlarger, you will need to sacrifice pixel count in the image.
Most video resizing tools will have a tab that says, “scale to frame size” or “resolution” through the Video Settings menu. Click on that, and you’ll see a window that lets you decide the dimension and resolution of the final exported video.
Resizing the Aspect Ratio
A video’s aspect ratio is the overall shape of the video. It’s like when you watch an old TV show on a wide screen, and you see those black bars on the sides. That’s because a CRT TV has a different aspect ratio than a modern HDTV.
Different social media platforms use different aspect ratios. Here are some of the most common ones:
- YouTube – 16:9 for standards videos, 9:16 for shorts
- TikTok – 9:16
- Instagram – 4:5 for portrait videos, 1:1 for square videos, 9:16 for stories
- Facebook – 16:9 and 9:16
- Twitter – 16:9 or 1:1
You might have guessed from the repeating numbers that 16:9 is the aspect ratio of a smartphone held sideways. That said, the square 1:1 format is better if you want to keep a uniform video that people view on any app or device.
After you’ve uploaded the video you want to edit, your video editor will have a labeled setting to adjust the aspect ratio. If you can’t find it, it might be labeled under “orientation.” This will let you choose landscape, portrait, square, or enter your own custom ratio.
Remember, it’s easier to decrease an aspect ratio than to increase it. Sometimes forcing a video to fit a too-wide or too-tall space can result in weird effects like black bars surrounding the video.
Resizing via Video Cropping
Sometimes you just want to remove things from a shot. That’s where cropping comes in. This is a bit trickier than just resizing the video because you’re also reframing it. A cropped video will have fewer pixels than a non-cropped video, so it’s best to do these videos that are a higher resolution than you want your cropped video to be.
To crop your video, upload the video and look under “Tools” for “Crop Video.” If there is no cropping tool, you might need to look for something like “Show Clip Properties” or “Set to Frame Size” to pull up a window where you can manually input your X and Y values.
Tips for cropping videos:
- Crop high-res images and videos, you will lose pixels in the process.
- Try to keep everything in the same aspect ratio.
- Don’t go crazy with the cropping. Less is more.
After, you’ll need to set the resolution in the Video Settings menu. Here you can set your desired resolution before you export your video.
Resizing with the Export Setting
If you want the easiest and fastest way to change the size of your video file, you can do that through the export settings. Most video editors have an “export” button in the bottom-right corner. If it’s not there, it will be under “File”.
An Export tab will pop up and let you decide on the dimension and resolution you want for your final video. Make sure to preview the video before you export it to make sure it is to your liking. The expert tab will also let you choose the file type. So if you’re trying to convert an MP4 to a MOV, use the export setting.
Final Thoughts
Resizing your videos is a great way to improve the quality of the videos you post. You might not realize that your chosen video hosting platform is compressing your videos automatically. By altering the size or format, you can post high-quality videos that do not break your bandwidth to watch.
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