4:5 Aspect Ratio: Sizes, Examples & How to Crop Images

What is a 4:5 aspect ratio?

An aspect ratio describes the shape of an image, not its size. It is written as width : height. In a 4:5 image the width is four-fifths of the height, or 0.8 as a decimal. A tiny 400 × 500 image and a large 2400 × 3000 image are both 4:5: they have the same shape, just a different number of pixels.

Is 4:5 portrait or landscape?

4:5 is portrait, because the height is larger than the width. Turned on its side it becomes 5:4, a landscape shape. 4:5 is only slightly taller than a square, which is why it often feels close to 1:1 rather than to a tall phone screen (9:16).

4:5 means four units wide for every five units tall. 5:4 means five units wide for every four units tall. They are the same rectangle rotated 90 degrees, so any 4:5 size becomes 5:4 by swapping width and height. Exact 5:4 landscape examples:

Common 4:5 pixel dimensions

Every size below divides down to exactly 4:5. Each is width × height in portrait orientation.

The last column shows the resolution you would get if you printed that image at 8 × 10 inches: the width in pixels divided by 8 inches. For example, 1080 ÷ 8 = 135 PPI.

How to calculate 4:5 dimensions

If you know one side, you can find the other:

To check whether an existing size is 4:5, divide the width by the height. If the answer is 0.8, it is 4:5. 1080 ÷ 1350 = 0.8, so it is; 1080 ÷ 1440 = 0.75, so that one is 3:4 instead. The Aspect Ratio Calculator does this for any size, and the Image Aspect Ratio Checker reads it straight from an image file.

4:5 on social media

A 4:5 portrait image is taller than a square or landscape one, so it fills more of a phone screen in a scrolling feed. Instagram is the best-known example. Its official help pages treat ordinary posts and paid ads differently:

• Ordinary posts: Instagram's Help Center says photos keep their original shape when the ratio is between 1.91:1 (landscape) and 3:4 (portrait), and when the width is between 320 and 1080 pixels. Other ratios are cropped, and wider photos are reduced to 1080 pixels wide. 4:5 sits inside that range.
• Feed ads: Meta's design requirements for Instagram Feed ads accept images from 1.91:1 to 9:16, but say taller images may be automatically cropped to the recommended ratio of 4:5.

So 1080 × 1350 is a natural 4:5 size for an Instagram portrait post: the full 1080-pixel width at the 4:5 shape. Ordinary posts can go slightly taller, to 3:4 (1080 × 1440), but 4:5 is the shape Meta recommends for ads. Platform rules change, so check the current help pages or run your image through the Instagram Image Size Checker before posting.

Why 4:5 fits 8 × 10 inch prints

An 8 × 10 inch print is 8 ÷ 10 = 0.8, exactly the same shape as 4:5. That means any 4:5 image fills an 8 × 10 print with no cropping and no borders.

An aspect ratio describes proportions, not a fixed physical size, so 4:5 has no single size in inches. Any print whose width ÷ height is 0.8 is 4:5:

11 × 14 inches is close but not exact: 11 ÷ 14 ≈ 0.786, slightly narrower than 4:5. A 4:5 image printed at 11 × 14 needs a small crop or thin borders.

Other common print sizes have different shapes: 4 × 6 is 2:3 and 5 × 7 is 5:7. The print sizes in pixels chart lists them all, and the Print Size Calculator shows how large your own image can print.

How to crop an image to 4:5

Most images aren't 4:5 to start with. To change the shape without distorting it, you crop: you keep one side and cut the other down to match.

The same method works for other starting shapes:

The wider the original, the more you lose. Landscape images, especially 16:9, often work better as a different post shape or with padding instead.

Cropping, resizing, padding and stretching

These four terms are often mixed up, but they do different things:

• Cropping cuts away part of the image to change its shape. No distortion, but you lose the edges.
• Resizing changes the number of pixels while keeping the shape. 2400 × 3000 resized to 1080 × 1350 is still 4:5 — resizing alone never turns another ratio into 4:5.
• Padding keeps the whole image and adds bars to fill the frame. A 1200 × 800 photo placed in a 1200 × 1500 frame gets 350 px bars above and below.
• Stretching forces the image into the new shape. Taking 1200 × 800 to 1200 × 1500 stretches everything vertically by 1.875×, so circles become tall ovals. Avoid it.

The 16:9 vs 4:3 guide shows crop, pad and stretch side by side with diagrams.

Common mistakes

• Confusing 4:5 with 3:4. 3:4 (0.75) is taller. 1080 × 1440 is 3:4, not 4:5.
• Using a social-sized image for print. 1080 × 1350 is the right shape for 8 × 10 but far too few pixels for 300 PPI.
• Upscaling to fix the shape. Making an image bigger doesn't change its ratio; you still need to crop or pad.
• Letting software auto-crop. An automatic centred crop can cut off the subject. Choose the crop yourself.

Frequently asked questions

What size is a 4:5 image in pixels?

Any size where the width is 0.8 times the height, for example 1080 × 1350, 1600 × 2000 or 2400 × 3000.

Is 4:5 the same as 8 × 10?

Yes, in shape. 8 ÷ 10 and 4 ÷ 5 both equal 0.8. 8 × 10 is a physical print size; 4:5 is the ratio.

Is 1080 × 1350 the same as 4:5?

Yes. 1080 ÷ 1350 = 0.8, and dividing both numbers by 270 gives 4 × 5.

Can I convert a square image to 4:5 without cropping?

Only by padding: for example, place a 1080 × 1080 image in a 1080 × 1350 frame with 135 px bars above and below.