need to change aspect ratio

[Saiopo]

I don't have many friends who would know about this so I've had to ask here.

Looking back on all my travel photos pre 2015, I realise that nearly every photo I've taken is in the 4:3 format, which I hear is obviously the standard aspect ratio and also renders the highest quality. However, I would like to now change some of these photos to 16:9 landscape format if possible.

Does anyone know of a program online perhaps or otherwise where I can change the aspect ration of these photos from 4:3 to 16:9 and without the image quality being distorted? I know photoshop is capable of this, however, I'm not spending almost £100 and have never used it before. Surely there must be somewhere online where I can do this? I found one called iResizer but when it formats to 16:9 the whole image itself becomes stretched and distorted.

 

[SCraig]

You can't RESIZE a photograph to change the aspect ratio without getting distortion. The only way to do what you want without distortion is to CROP the photographs, likely one at a time since you will have to decide how the crop needs to be done.

 

[480sparky]

There is no such thing as a single 'standard' aspect ratio for images.

If you crop all your images to 16:9, what are you going to do when you need to print an 8x10?

 

[benhasajeep]

Welcome to the forum.

There is a free editing software available online that is very similar to photoshop. Gimp.org.
Now you can do it automatically but you don't want too. When you change the aspect ratio you will be cropping your original images as mentioned above. You will want to choose the crop yourself. If you let the program do it (can set up an automation) it will not take into effect what's in the picture. So, get Gimp, and sit down and go though your pictures. You can set it for the aspect ratio you want and move it around.

 

[petrochemist]

There is no such thing as a single 'standard' aspect ratio for images.

If you crop all your images to 16:9, what are you going to do when you need to print an 8x10?

Very true.
Most DSLRs actually use 3:2 IIRC, but 7:6, 5:4, 1:1, have also been common ratios.
4:3 would be about right for older standard monitors, and is also right for 6x4.5 medium format, & micro four thirds.

If you crop images to widescreen but keep the originals they can be cropped again to 5:4 for the 10x8 prints, but of course the image will change considerably due to the crop!!! What works well in one format will often be meaningless in a totally different aspect ratio.

 

[KmH]

Cropping entails discarding some of a photo.
4:3 is almost square while 16:9 is very much a rectangle.

This black space has a 4:3 aspect ratio and shows how much of each photo you will lose by cropping to a 16:9 aspect ratio.
You can choose where the 16:9 space is on the 4:3 and can crop all of the top or all the bottom off or some of both.

In the vertical format 3:4 or 9:16 you will be cropping the sides.
However, landscape (horizontal) or portrait (vertical) you can crop even more by changing the size of the 16:9 area you want to save.

 

[dunfly]

Just about any program will allow you to crop the photos. You shouldn't see any significant loss in quality of the area cropped. Once you crop the image, save it under a different file name (ex.: add a C to the original name), then you will have the original image and the cropped image.

 

[Saiopo]

Thanks for all the info.
I guess I understand now what is going on here. I think what I'm intending to do is to actually CONVERT a photo from a 4:3 format into a 16:9 format, as in the entire photo not cropping a section of it.
Obviously, this is possible but then the image will be stretched and distorted.

It's not like the end of the world having photos in 4:3 right? I mean what format are most of your photos in? I think for landscape photography, 16:9 is best.

 

[480sparky]

......... I mean what format are most of your photos in? ..........

Whatever ratio fits my vision for the subject of the image. It can be anywhere from 1:1 to 1:30.

 

[KmH]

Yep. Same here.
I crop to suit my artistic intent rather than worrying about it being this or that aspect ratio.

As it is, various media have differing aspect ratios, as do various common print sizes.
But, there are ways a non-common (custom) aspect ratio image can be presented effective in the various media, including as a print.

 

[petrochemist]

Thanks for all the info.
I guess I understand now what is going on here. I think what I'm intending to do is to actually CONVERT a photo from a 4:3 format into a 16:9 format, as in the entire photo not cropping a section of it.
Obviously, this is possible but then the image will be stretched and distorted.

I suspect most editing software will allow you to resize to different proportions if you want to. I've done it with FastStone (which is free) it just required the maintain aspect ratio tickbox to be cleared & values entered for both X & Y dimensions. Anything other than very subtle stretching will tend to look wrong - I've been tempted to try it with selfies to help me slim down a little

 

[KmH]

Aspect ratio isn't about the size.
Aspect ratio is about the shape.

 

[480sparky]

Aspect ratio isn't about the size.
Aspect ratio is about the shape.

Yep. 4x5, 8x10 and 16x20 are all the same ratio.

 

[sniper x]

I shoot full frame 35mm shots with all my cameras from 35mm film, to full frame DSLR's. Well, almost all of them. If I am grabbing a screen shot from TV and the native rez is 16:9, I change a little Point and SHoot camera to the 16:9 format and shoot it with that. One thing to remember since I did not read all the responses, cropping a 4:3 photo to 16:9 is fine if the shot was taken composition wise at that aspect ratio. If it wasn't, it may look like it was not composed well. And it'll print funky.