The Ideal TikTok Aspect Ratio and Video Dimensions: A Complete Guide

However, when you stick to the recommended aspect ratio and dimensions, you can boost your audience’s viewing experiences by:

• Ensuring a good look of your content on the screen.
• Capturing the full attention of your viewers.
• Generating increased engagement.
• Enhancing content’s clarity.

This article is going to guide you to the ideal TikTok video dimensions and aspect ratio to help accomplish these goals and deliver more viewer-friendly content that pays off.

What Is the Best Aspect Ratio for TikTok?

Aspect ratio stands for the ratio of a video’s width and height, hence determining its shape and how it will appear on the screen. Since TikTok was originally designed for vertical orientation videos, its recommended ideal aspect ratio is 9:16.

The core factors that make the 9:16 aspect ratio thrive are as follows:

• It uses the full screen and ensures that your video is fully visible, with no bars, awkward cropping, or wasted space.
• By taking most of the user’s screen, 9:16 videos tend to create a more engaging and immersive experience, eliminating distractions. Studies also confirm that the 9:16 aspect ratio keeps users literally glued to their screens by boosting the number of over 3-second views (13%) and offering a whopping 157% increase in 50% total watch time, which is significantly better compared to square videos. 
• 9:16 videos have also been shown to be more cost-effective and provide higher return on investment (ROI) because they can be easily repurposed for other platforms. For example, you can turn your TikTok with this ratio into Instagram stories or reels, YouTube shorts, etc. Best part? - Such vertical videos appear to be effective and engaging across all platforms.

Understanding TikTok Video Dimensions

Video dimensions, or resolution, is a different type of measurement. Instead of identifying the ratio, it clarifies the specific width and height of a video in pixels (PX). As you may know, pixels are tiny colored dots that make up a digital image. When their number is insufficient, it results in blurred or pixelated images that simply don’t look good to viewers.

High-quality dimensions, on the contrary, make your videos look more professional and polished. They are also clearer and thus, can improve user engagement and overall viewing experience. Generally, for a clear and honed look, TikTok videos are recommended to have dimensions of 1080x1920. These dimensions are also known as Full High Definition (Full HD). Introduced in 2007, Full HD has become a golden standard for Blu-Ray, digital television, and most high-quality videos on the web.

Tips for Maintaining the Best Resolution for TikTok Videos

As you already know, Full HD or 1080x1920 is the recommended resolution for your TikTok videos. The challenge is that the platform tends to bring some quality loss in the process of uploading. Luckily, there are several hacks that can help you maintain a high resolution:

• Record your videos in the correct resolution and at a minimum of 24 frames per second (fps) or ideally 30 fps.
• Avoid excessive compression during editing. Ideally, you should maintain a high bitrate of your video - 5-10 Mbps for HD.
• Stick to the acceptable file types. TikTok recommends uploading videos in MP4 or MOV formats, sticking to these formats should help you avoid quality loss.
• Remember about the maximum upload size - 75 MB for Android devices and 250 MB for iOS. Trying to upload large video files can lead to additional compression by TikTok, which will likely hinder the quality.
• Try uploading your content using a desktop. It typically has a stronger capacity and faster upload speed, which can help you upload high-quality videos.
• Enable high-quality uploads inside TikTok’s settings. To do this, upload your video and get to the final editing screen before you post your content. From there, click “More options” → “Allow high-quality uploads.”
• Turn off the data saver feature. This feature is there to reduce the volume of data you consume when using TikTok via cellular data, respectively, it can also affect your quality during the upload, as well as the time of upload. To disable it and ensure better resolutions, click on the three-line icon at the upper right corner of your profile, then go to Settings → Privacy → Data Saver and disable it.

Common TikTok Video Sizes and When to Use Them

Although the recommended TikTok video size is 9:16, there are also other supported options. They can be used in different situations to diversify your content and ensure even greater engagement, and here’s how:

Standard Vertical Size

As you already know, the recommended optimal size for a TikTok video is 9:16 (vertical format). This size is perfect for most TikTok videos as it offers the best clarity, quality, viewing experience, and engagement. Hence, you should choose it whenever possible.

Alternative Ratios

Apart from the 9:16 format, there are three other available options that you can try:

• 4:5 - This format is also vertical but unlike 9:16 it doesn’t fit into the entire screen and appears with bars on top and under it instead. While this isn’t the most immersive format, it can be used when you need to repost content from other platforms, let’s say, Instagram, and don’t want to hinder visibility by cropping your video.
• 1:1 - This is a square format that also implies the appearance of bars on top of and under your video, though its height is somewhat smaller compared to the 4:5 format. Yet, similar to the previous option, this format is a versatile option for cross-platform posting.
• 16:9 - Finally, the last option is the horizontal video format with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Compared to other formats, this option offers less visibility as it appears significantly smaller on the screen. Yet, it gives users an opportunity to rotate their screens and watch your content in landscape mode. Hence, this format might be the most suitable for YouTube-format videos that are longer and fit into landscape view.

How to Adjust TikTok Aspect Ratio and Dimensions Step by Step

Whatever TikTok video size ratio and resolution you decide to choose for your content, often, you will need to optimize your videos to it during the editing process. Here is a simple step-by-step guide that should help you do this:

1. Pick a suitable editing software that matches your needs in terms of functionality, price, etc. Unless you don't have a specific tool in mind yet, some options you can try include Adobe Premiere Pro, iMovie, CapCut, Final Cut Pro, and similar.
2. Open the selected software, create your new project, and import the video you want to edit.
3. Once the video is imported, adjust its aspect ratio to 9:16 (or another option). Most tools, including Adobe Premiere and CapCut, will offer you ready-made preset ratios to make the adjustments faster. However, if this feature is not available you can set the preferred canvas dimensions manually to 1080x1920 pixels.
4. Resize and reposition the video according to the selected format. If your content wasn’t recorded in 9:16, you’ll need to zoom it in or add frames to fill the vertical space. While doing this, make sure you keep the main subject centered and retain video clarity.
5. Handle other steps of editing, such as adding effects, text, or otherwise adjusting the video to your needs, always ensuring that everything fits well within the chosen 9:16 (or another) space.
6. Export your video using the recommended settings:
   1. Resolution: 1080x1920
   2. File Type: MP4 or MOV
   3. Bitrate: A minimum of 5-10 Mbps or higher (if possible)
   4. Frame Rate: A minimum of 25 fps but ideally 30 fps
7. After downloading, preview your video using a mobile device to ensure it fits within and looks great on a TikTok screen size. When ready, upload your video and share it.

Adjust TikTok Video Size via Built-In Features

While using external software and tools can work pretty well, you should keep in mind that TikTok already has the needed cropping features built into the app, which can greatly simplify the editing process. Here’s how to use it:

• Press on the plus sign to record a video.
• Click on the video trimming icon (under the settings) in the upper right corner of the screen.
• Click edit and find the Crop button.
• In the crop menu, TikTok will offer you to pick one of its standard sizes and adjust your video to them. Or you can also use a freeform cropping feature.
• When ready, just save your video and share it.

FAQs

What is the ideal TikTok aspect ratio?

It’s the 9:16 vertical format. This is the original format for TikTok videos that remains the most immersive and engaging, also allowing maximum clarity.

What are the ideal dimensions for TikTok videos?

In order to offer clarity and a high-quality image, it’s recommended to stick to dimensions of 1080 x 1920 pixels (Full HD). Such videos tend to look more polished and drive more attention.

Can I post horizontal videos on TikTok?

Yes. The platform supports videos with a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is the horizontal format. These videos appear smaller on users’ screens but they can be watched in a landscape mode.

What’s the best format for TikTok ads?

Generally, 9:16 is the overall best aspect ratio for TikTok, whether it’s just a video or an ad. However, there are also other size options, such as 4:5, 1:1, and 16:9, which you can consider, especially when repurposing content from other platforms.