Aspect Ratio Gone Wrong: My Favorite Pet Peeve

To summarize my opinion about bad aspect ratio in one graphic:

squished-squashed

Aspect ratio pertains to the proportions (relation of width to height) of an image (video, picture, or whatever). When the aspect ratio of a video is not correct, the proportions look wrong.

Not everyone can see bad aspect ratio right off, but most of us notice the difference when we see distorted and normal pictures shown side-by-side. Most viewers know what "looks best" when given a choice.

Some of us (like me! like me! LOL) are more sensitive to picture distortion. We notice it right away and it really bugs us. (It's like how many people can't stand listening to a tune sung off-key. It jars the nerves, seems "wrong," and spoils their enjoyment of the music.)

Many others can't always pinpoint quite what's wrong when they see a squished or squashed video, only they know something is "off," and when given a choice, will prefer to see normal, undistorted images.

For this reason (and also because this is, after all, a major pet peeve of mine! LOL) I don't offer to host fan videos with major aspect ratio (proportion) problems.

If you are a vidder and are not sure if your vids have aspect ratio problems, or you want to learn more about this subject, read this tutorial on my companion site, foolishpassion.org.

Also, this somewhat tongue-in-cheek (and rather "ranty") video illustrates the basic concepts of aspect ratio as it pertains to fan videos. The video info contains links to many tutorials. Aspect ratio errors in fan videos are quite easy to avoid, once you understand the concept. The tutorials will help you learn more.