How to Change Aspect Ratio of Your Video Before Uploading to YouTube

When preparing your videos for upload on YouTube, ensuring they have the right aspect ratio is crucial for providing a seamless viewing experience. The ideal aspect ratio for YouTube videos is 16:9. In this guide, we will explore how to change the aspect ratio of your video before uploading it to ensure it matches this standard.

Understanding Aspect Ratios

Before diving into the process, it's important to understand what an aspect ratio is. An aspect ratio refers to the proportional relationship between the width and height of an image, video, or screen. YouTube primarily uses a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is also known as widescreen. This means that for every 16 units of width, there are 9 units of height.

Changing Aspect Ratio Before Uploading

Unfortunately, once a video has been uploaded to YouTube, its aspect ratio cannot be changed. Therefore, it is essential to set the correct aspect ratio while you are working on your video. Here are the steps to change the aspect ratio of your video before uploading:

Using a Video Editor

The most efficient way to change your video's aspect ratio is by using a video editing software. Most video editors come with built-in tools to adjust the dimensions of your video to fit a specific aspect ratio.

Choose a video editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro, iMovie, or even free software like YouTube Movie Maker.

Open the software and create a new project with the desired resolution. In most cases, 1920 x 1080 (16:9 aspect ratio) is used for standard HD videos.

Import your source video into the software.

Drag the video into the timeline or appropriate video track within the editor.

If you need to remove black bars (letterboxing) from around the video, you can crop the video. To do this, right-click on the video in the timeline and select "Crop." This will allow you to adjust the dimensions and remove any unnecessary black bars.

Export your video. Most video editors allow you to save your video with the correct aspect ratio and in the desired format for uploading to YouTube.

Using VLC Media Player

Another option is to use VLC Media Player, which is a free, open-source multimedia player that can be used for various tasks, including adjusting video aspect ratios.

Open VLC Media Player and play the video you wish to adjust.

In the video playback window, look for the "Aspect Ratio" menu at the top and select the appropriate ratio (e.g., 16:9).

If you need to crop the video, you can use the "Menu" > "Video" > "Aspect Ratio" > "Crop Video Frame" option to manually adjust the aspect ratio of the video.

For reencoding a video with the wrong aspect ratio, VLC Media Player also offers the ability to reencode videos with a new aspect ratio, though it might be more complex compared to using a video editor.

To reencode a video, go to the "Media" > "Convert/Save" > "Convert / Save" > "Add" > "Open..." and select your file.

Select the destination folder and "Convert / Save."

In the "Convert Save" dialogue, under the "Profile" dropdown, select a preset that matches your desired aspect ratio or create a custom profile with the correct aspect ratio.

Click on "Start" Convert" to reencode and output the video with the correct aspect ratio.

Conclusion

Ensuring your video has the correct aspect ratio before uploading to YouTube is a simple but crucial step to enhance viewer engagement and ensure a seamless viewing experience. By using a video editor or VLC Media Player, you can adjust your video's aspect ratio effectively and efficiently.