The Basic Language of the Frame

Aspect Ratio

 Aspect ratio is simply the shape of your video – how wide it is compared to its height.

Think of it like different picture frames:

  • 16:9 > Standard widescreen (YouTube, most TVs)

  • 9:16 > Vertical videos (Instagram Reels, TikTok, Shorts)

  • 1:1 > Square format (classic Instagram posts)

  • 2.39:1 > Anamorphic (film/ cinema look, allows for a wider field of view, used in movies for that epic feel)

    If you’d like to dive deeper into picture frames and aspect ratios, you can read more here: Aspect ratio (image) – Wikipedia

Safe Margins (Title Safe & Action Safe)

Back in the TV days, screens used to cut off the edges. To be safe, the Safe Margin was created:

  • Title Safe > The inner box. Keep all text here so nothing gets chopped off

  • Action Safe > The larger box. Keep important action inside so the audience sees it all

Rule of Thirds

Divide the frame into a 3x3 grid. Placing your subject along the lines or intersections makes the shot more natural/balanced, interesting, and professional

SD, HD, and UHD

Video is not just about shape (aspect ratio), it is also about resolution, or how many pixels make up the image.

  • SD (Standard Definition) > Older TV quality, usually 720 × 480 pixels. Looks fuzzy/noisy by today’s standards

  • HD (High Definition) > Sharper image, common formats are 1280 × 720 (720p) and 1920 × 1080 (1080p)

  • UHD (Ultra High Definition) > Also called 4K, with 3840 × 2160 pixels. Extremely sharp and detailed, now standard for most modern screens

Higher resolution = more detail, but also larger file sizes.

* The “p” in video resolution stands for progressive scan. Remember: it is showing the full picture, every frame. 

This is different from the old “i” (interlaced) format, like 1080i, where only half the image (every other line) was refreshed at a time. That made video look flickery or blurry during fast movement. 

  • 720p = 720 pixels tall, displayed with progressive scan (each frame is shown in full).

  • 1080p = 1080 pixels tall, also progressive.

  • Progressive means the whole image updates every frame resulting in smoother and clearer image and especially motion.

1080p vs. 1080i — Progressive vs Interlaced Demo

1080p vs. 1080i — Progressive vs Interlaced

Left: Progressive (1080p) — full frame refreshed every time.
Right: Interlaced (1080i) — only odd/even scanlines refreshed each field.

Progressive (1080p)
Full frame each refresh > smooth motion.
Interlaced (1080i)
Alternates odd/even scanlines > “combing” effect on motion.
Speed: 160 px/s
Fields/sec: 30

Here is a YouTube video that explains the difference between 'p' and 'i': https://youtu.be/rPYJDAT1kCo?feature=shared

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