Where 1280 × 720 is asked for
YouTube Help lists 1280 × 720 as 720p (HD) among its 16:9 video resolutions and says 16:9 is the standard aspect ratio for YouTube on a computer. Source: YouTube Help: Video resolution and aspect ratios.
For video thumbnails, YouTube Help recommends 3840 × 2160 pixels in 16:9 with a minimum width of 640 pixels, in a format such as JPG or PNG, up to 2 MB from a phone and 50 MB from a computer. 1280 × 720 has the same shape at twice the minimum width. Source: YouTube Help: Add custom thumbnails on YouTube.
A 1280 × 720 image has 921,600 pixels, just under a megapixel. That is a quarter of the pixels of a 2560 × 1440 image and the same shape as 1920 × 1080 and 3840 × 2160, so it scales between them without trimming.
1280 × 720 in numbers
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 (1.78:1) |
|---|---|
| Orientation | Landscape, wider than tall |
| Pixels | 921,600 (0.92 megapixels) |
| Print size at 300 dpi | 4.27 × 2.4 in (10.8 × 6.1 cm) |
| Print size at 150 dpi | 8.53 × 4.8 in (21.7 × 12.2 cm) |
| Uncompressed, 24-bit color | 2.76 MB (3 bytes per pixel) |
Pixels have no physical size until you print them. The print sizes divide the pixels by the dots per inch, and 1 inch is 2.54 cm.
What happens to common photo sizes
Each row shows what the three shape options make of a typical picture at 1280 × 720, worked out with the same math the tool uses. Crop to fill, the preset, always gives exactly 1280 × 720. Trimmed pixels are counted on the original photo, before it is scaled.
| Photo | Fit insideKeeps the shape | Crop to fillExactly 1280 × 720 | Fit and padExactly 1280 × 720 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4,032 × 3,02412 MP phone photo, 4:3 | 960 × 720 | 378 px trimmed from top and bottom, 25% of the picture | 960 × 720 picture, bands of 160 px left and right |
| 1,920 × 1,080Full HD screenshot, 16:9 | 1,280 × 720 | Nothing trimmed | No bands |
| 3,000 × 2,000Camera photo, 3:2 | 1,080 × 720 | 156 px trimmed from top and bottom, 16% of the picture | 1,080 × 720 picture, bands of 100 px left and right |
Crop to fill always keeps the middle of the picture. To choose which part stays, crop it first in the image cropper and then resize it here.
File size of a 1280 × 720 image
How large the file gets depends on the picture and the format. For JPEG, Wallace's guide gives a rule of thumb in bits per pixel: 0.25 for moderate to good quality, 0.5 for good to very good, 0.75 for excellent and 1.5 for results usually hard to tell from the original, for color images of moderate detail. Over the 921,600 pixels of 1280 × 720, that comes to about 29 KB, 58 KB, 86 KB and 173 KB, in the same order.
| Bits per pixel | Expected quality | JPEG at 1280 × 720 |
|---|---|---|
| 0.25 | Moderate to good | 29 KB |
| 0.5 | Good to very good | 58 KB |
| 0.75 | Excellent | 86 KB |
| 1.5 | Usually hard to tell from the original | 173 KB |
These are estimates for JPEG, not a promise: a detailed photo needs more, a flat graphic less, and PNG stores every pixel without loss. The tool's quality slider sets JPG and WebP quality, and the list under the tool shows the real size of every file. If a form sets a limit in KB, resize first and then compress the image to 100 KB or any other size with compress to target size.
How to resize an image to 1280 × 720
Drop one or more images above. Width 1280 and height 720 are already filled in, with Crop to fill selected. Every image is resized right away; change the shape option, the format or the quality and they are all redone. Download each image or all of them as a ZIP. The file names end in -1280x720, so you can tell them apart from the originals.
Need a different size? One size down is 1200 × 630, one size up 1080 × 1080. The same 16:9 shape in other sizes: 1920 × 1080. Type any width and height into the fields, or use the image resizer with percent and max size modes. To make the file smaller without changing the pixels, use the image compressor.
Sources
- YouTube Help: Video resolution and aspect ratios
- YouTube Help: Add custom thumbnails on YouTube
- Gregory K. Wallace: The JPEG Still Picture Compression Standard, section 4.5 (copy hosted by the National University of Singapore)
Frequently asked questions
What happens to a 12-megapixel photo resized to 1280x720?
A 12-megapixel phone photo of 4,032 × 3,024 pixels is 4:3. With Crop to fill, the preset, it becomes exactly 1280 × 720, and 378 pixels are trimmed from the top and the bottom of the original first, 25% of the picture. Fit and pad gives 1280 × 720 with the whole photo scaled to 960 × 720 and bands of 160 pixels left and right. Fit inside keeps the shape and returns 960 × 720. All three shrink the photo, which keeps it sharp.
Is 1280 × 720 still a good thumbnail size?
It is accepted: YouTube Help asks for at least 640 pixels wide in 16:9, and 1280 × 720 is 16:9 at twice that width. The current recommendation is 3840 × 2160, which has nine times as many pixels. If your source image is that large, resize to 3840 × 2160 instead.
What is the difference between 1280 × 720 and 1920 × 1080?
Both are 16:9. 1920 × 1080 is 1.5 times as wide and as tall and has 2.25 times as many pixels. YouTube Help lists them as 720p and 1080p.
What aspect ratio is 1280x720?
1280 × 720 has an aspect ratio of 16:9: the width is 1.78 times the height. 1920 × 1080 has the same shape, so it scales to 1280 × 720 without trimming.
Are my images uploaded to resize them to 1280 × 720?
No. Your browser opens each image, draws it at the new size and saves it on your own device. Nothing is sent to a server.