--- title: "Video Aspect Ratio Converter, No Cropping | border.video" description: "Convert a video to 9:16, 16:9, 1:1, 4:5, 3:4, 2:3 or 21:9 by adding a border or blurred fill instead of cropping. See it live, then save an MP4. No upload." url: https://border.video/video-aspect-ratio-converter --- Free · runs in your browser # Change a video’s aspect ratio without cropping Choose the new ratio, add the clip, and the full picture is fitted inside it. The spare space becomes blur, colour or a frame, never a crop. To change a video’s aspect ratio without cropping, pick the new ratio above the drop zone, then add your clip. The converter scales the whole frame to fit the new shape and fills the space left over, with a blurred copy of the clip unless you choose a colour or a design. What you see in the preview is exactly what **Export video** saves. There are three ways to change a ratio: crop, stretch or pad. Cropping cuts part of the picture away, stretching distorts it, and padding keeps every pixel in proportion and adds space around it. This tool only pads, which is why nothing can be lost. To move between 16:9 and 9:16 specifically, the [9:16 vertical page](https://border.video/fit-video-to-9-16) walks through it step by step. ## How to convert a video’s aspect ratio 1. ### Choose the new ratio Pick a shape above the drop zone: 9:16, 16:9, 1:1, 4:5, 3:4, 2:3 or 21:9\. Original keeps the video’s own shape and is under Shape once the clip is open. 2. ### Add the video Drop it on the tool or press Select video. It opens already fitted inside the new ratio, with the gaps filled. 3. ### Decide what fills the gaps Blurred background is the default. Under Look, pick Black for letterbox or pillarbox bars, Clean white, a gradient, or any of the 400+ designs. 4. ### Save the converted video Press Export video, then Download video. The sound is kept unless you switch off Keep sound under Export settings. ## Pad, crop or stretch: which to use * **Pad** (this tool): the whole frame stays, in proportion, with space added round it. Best for text, screen recordings, group shots and wide scenery. * **Crop**: the frame is cut down to the new shape. Fine when the subject sits in the middle and the edges don’t matter, but a 16:9 shot cropped to 9:16 loses about two thirds of its width. * **Stretch**: the picture is squashed to fit. Faces and circles go oval, so it is almost never what you want. Padding needs something in the space it creates. Black bars are the traditional answer; a blur of the clip looks fuller on phones; a brand colour or design turns the space into part of the post. ## Output sizes for each ratio The converted video’s shorter side matches your clip’s shorter side, so nothing is upscaled. From a 1080p source you get: * **9:16**: 1080×1920\. **16:9**: 1920×1080\. **1:1**: 1080×1080. * **4:5**: 1080×1350\. **3:4**: 1080×1440\. **2:3**: 1080×1620. * **21:9**: 2520×1080, the ultrawide cinema shape. A 4K clip gives twice these sizes. To cap the output, choose **1080p** or **720p** under **Export settings → Size**. Which ratio each platform wants is listed in [our aspect ratio guide](https://border.video/video-aspect-ratios). ## Converting horizontal to vertical without losing the subject A landscape clip in a 9:16 frame spans the width of the screen and leaves space above and below. That space is useful: put a title in it, or move the picture with **Top to bottom** under **More options** so captions in the app don’t cover anyone’s face. At 0% **Border width**, the picture is as large as the frame allows. Going the other way, a vertical phone clip in a 16:9 frame sits in the middle with space at the sides. A blurred fill is the usual choice there, and it is covered in more depth on the [blurred background page](https://border.video/blur-background-video). ## Letterbox, pillarbox and windowbox These are the names for the bars padding creates. **Letterbox** bars sit above and below a wide picture, as on a 21:9 film shown on a 16:9 TV. **Pillarbox** bars sit either side of a tall picture, like a phone clip on YouTube. **Windowbox** has bars on all four sides, which is what you get here when **Border width** is above zero. Any of them can be black, a colour, a blur or a pattern. ## Aspect ratio questions ### How do I change the aspect ratio of a video without cropping? Pad it rather than crop it. Choose the new ratio here, add the video, and the full frame fits inside with blur or colour in the spare space. Then export the MP4. ### How do I convert 16:9 to 9:16? Pick 9:16, add the 16:9 clip and export. The landscape picture fills the width of the vertical frame, with a fill above and below. ### Does changing the aspect ratio reduce quality? The video is re-encoded, but it is never upscaled: the shorter side stays at your clip’s size. Choose Quality High under Export settings to keep it close to the original. ### Can I convert a video to 21:9 cinema widescreen? Yes. Pick 21:9 and the clip is fitted inside an ultrawide frame. A 16:9 source gets bands at the sides, so choose a fill that suits it, such as black. ### Can I add black bars instead of a blur? Yes. Pick the Black look, or set Background to Solid with a black Border colour. ### Which browsers can convert a video’s aspect ratio? Current Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox on desktop and mobile. The conversion runs on your device, so long 4K clips are quicker on a computer. ## More border and frame guides * [ Add a border to a video online Over 400 looks, eight shapes and full control, previewed live on your own clip. ](https://border.video/) * [ Video aspect ratios for every platform One table of ratios and sizes for YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and more. ](https://border.video/video-aspect-ratios) * [ Convert a landscape video to 9:16 Make a vertical video for TikTok, Reels or Shorts and keep the whole picture. ](https://border.video/fit-video-to-9-16) * [ Make a video square without cropping Fit the full picture in a 1:1 frame and fill the gaps with colour or blur. ](https://border.video/make-video-square) * [ Resize a video for Instagram Reels, Stories, feed and grid sizes, filled with blur or colour instead of cropped. ](https://border.video/resize-video-for-instagram)