Change aspect ratio in the Project Settings panel before you start editing

The fastest way to set aspect ratio in DaVinci Resolve is to open Project Settings before you import or edit any footage. Go to the top menu, select DaVinci Resolve (on Mac) or File (on Windows), then click Project Settings. In the window that opens, find the Resolution section on the left side.

Under Resolution, you will see a dropdown menu labeled Resolution with preset options like 1920×1080, 3840×2160, and others. Below that is another dropdown for Pixel Aspect Ratio. The pixel aspect ratio controls whether pixels are square or stretched, which affects how your image looks. For most modern video work, leave this set to Square Pixels (1.0) unless you are working with legacy broadcast footage.

If none of the preset resolutions match what you need, you can enter custom width and height values in the fields next to the Resolution dropdown. Type your desired width and height, then press Enter. This creates a custom resolution with your exact aspect ratio.

Key Takeaways

  • Open Project Settings from the File or DaVinci Resolve menu before you begin editing to set your aspect ratio once for the entire project.
  • Choose a preset resolution from the Resolution dropdown, or enter custom width and height values for a non-standard aspect ratio.
  • The Pixel Aspect Ratio dropdown controls whether pixels are square or stretched; leave it on Square Pixels unless working with broadcast or legacy video.
  • Changing aspect ratio after you have already edited clips may require you to reposition or rescale footage on the timeline.

Change aspect ratio for individual clips on the Edit page

If you need a different aspect ratio for only one or two clips instead of the whole project, you can scale and reposition them on the timeline. Select the clip you want to change, then right-click and choose Clip Attributes. In the panel that opens, you can adjust the Scale values to stretch or shrink the clip horizontally or vertically.

Alternatively, go to the Inspector panel on the right side of the Edit page. With your clip selected, scroll down to find Transform. Here you can change Scale X and Scale Y independently. Increasing Scale X makes the clip wider; increasing Scale Y makes it taller. This method lets you crop or stretch a single clip without affecting others.

If you want to crop rather than stretch, use the Crop tool instead. Select the clip, then in the Inspector find Crop and adjust the left, right, top, and bottom values to remove unwanted edges. Cropping removes pixels rather than stretching them, so the image quality stays sharper.

Use the Fusion page for more precise aspect ratio control

For advanced aspect ratio changes, the Fusion page gives you pixel-level control. Click the Fusion tab at the bottom of the DaVinci Resolve window. Double-click your clip in the timeline to open it in the Fusion workspace.

In the Fusion node editor, you can add a Transform node to scale your clip. Right-click in the node editor area and select Add Tool, then search for Transform. Connect this node between your clip input and the output. In the Transform node's controls, you can adjust Scale, Offset X, and Offset Y with decimal precision.

You can also use the Crop node in Fusion for more control than the Edit page offers. Add a Crop node, connect it to your clip, and adjust the crop boundaries in the viewer or in the node's numeric fields. Fusion is slower to render than the Edit page, so use it only when Edit page tools do not give you the precision you need.

Export at a different aspect ratio than your project setting

You can export your finished video at an aspect ratio different from your project setting without changing the project itself. Go to the Deliver page by clicking the tab at the bottom. In the left panel, select or create an export preset.

In the Video section of the export settings, find Resolution. Change the width and height to your desired output aspect ratio. For example, if your project is 1920×1080 but you want to export as 1280×720, enter those values here. DaVinci Resolve will scale your footage to fit the new resolution during export.

If you want to add black bars (letterboxing) instead of stretching, set the resolution to your target size, then in the Scaling dropdown choose Fit instead of Stretch. This keeps your footage at its original aspect ratio and adds black bars on the sides or top and bottom to fill the frame.

Common aspect ratio values and when to use them

The aspect ratio you choose depends on where your video will be shown. 16:9 (1920×1080 or 3840×2160) is the standard for YouTube, streaming services, and most modern displays. 9:16 (1080×1920) is for vertical video on mobile phones and social media stories. 1:1 (1080×1080) is for Instagram feed posts and TikTok.

4:3 (1440×1080) is older and rarely used for new projects, but you may encounter it in legacy broadcast footage. 21:9 (2560×1080) is for ultrawide cinema or gaming content. If you are unsure which to use, start with 16:9 at 1920×1080 — it works on nearly every platform and device.

You can always export the same project at multiple aspect ratios. Finish editing at 16:9, then create separate exports for 9:16 and 1:1 by changing only the export resolution on the Deliver page. This saves time if you need the same video in different formats for different platforms.

Troubleshoot aspect ratio problems after changing settings

If you change the project aspect ratio and your clips look stretched or squashed, the clips are being forced to fit the new frame size. To fix this, select each clip and use the Inspector's Scale controls to adjust it back to normal proportions. You may also need to reposition clips using Offset X and Offset Y so they are centered in the frame.

If you changed aspect ratio after editing and now see black bars or missing content, you have two options. You can scale the clips to fill the new frame (which may crop the edges), or you can add the black bars intentionally using the Fit scaling method on export. Choose whichever preserves the content you care about most.

If your exported video looks wrong even though the project settings are correct, check the Deliver page export settings. The export resolution overrides the project setting, so make sure the width and height there match what you actually want. Also check the Scaling dropdown — if it is set to Stretch instead of Fit, your video will be distorted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change aspect ratio in the middle of editing without redoing everything?

Yes, but you will need to adjust your clips. Change the project aspect ratio in Project Settings, then go through your timeline and rescale or reposition clips so they fit the new frame properly. Clips that were centered in 16:9 may be off-center in 9:16, so plan for some adjustment work.

What is the difference between resolution and aspect ratio?

Resolution is the total number of pixels (like 1920×1080). Aspect ratio is the proportion of width to height (like 16:9). You can have the same aspect ratio at different resolutions — 1920×1080 and 3840×2160 are both 16:9, but one is four times larger.

Will changing aspect ratio make my video look blurry?

Only if you stretch it. Scaling down (making it smaller) keeps quality sharp. Scaling up (making it larger) can make it blurry because you are enlarging pixels. Cropping does not affect sharpness at all. If you must enlarge, do it as little as possible.

How do I export for Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube from one project?

Finish editing your project at your preferred resolution, then go to the Deliver page and create three separate exports. For each one, change only the Resolution width and height to match the platform: 1080×1080 for Instagram, 1080×1920 for TikTok, and 1920×1080 for YouTube. Use the same color grade and effects for all three.

What happens if I set a custom aspect ratio that is very unusual?

DaVinci Resolve will use it, but playback and export may be slower, and some playback devices may not display it correctly. Stick to standard aspect ratios (16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:3) unless you have a specific reason to use something else. If you do use a custom ratio, test the export on the device where it will be watched.