--- title: "Aspect ratio (image ratio): meaning and marketplace rules | Herofab" description: "The ratio of an image's width to its height, such as 1:1 for square or 3:4 for upright." url: https://herofab.app/glossary/aspect-ratio language: en updated: 2026-11-06 --- # Aspect ratio An aspect ratio is the relationship between an image's width and height, expressed as proportions such as 1:1 or 3:4; marketplaces set accepted ratios so product cards fit the listing grid consistently. Also called **image ratio** With Herofab [Marketplace image resizer](https://herofab.app/tools/marketplace-image-resizer) ![The same street photo extended to a wide 16:9 frame, the model and the coat unchanged](https://herofab.app/img/ex/coat-wide-1600.webp) Made with Herofab · Extend frame Square images suit general marketplaces; upright formats suit fashion, where a standing model fills a tall frame. An image in the wrong ratio is usually padded or cropped by the marketplace. Changing the ratio after the shoot means either padding, which adds empty space, or extending the background, which adds new image area around the product. To work out a ratio, divide the width and the height by their largest common factor: 1,200 × 1,800 pixels divided by 600 gives 2:3, and 2,200 × 2,200 pixels gives 1:1. A ratio such as 1:1.44 gives the height as a multiple of the width: an image 1,000 pixels wide must then be 1,440 pixels tall. ## Why the aspect ratio matters in a listing Search results and category pages are grids. Every tile has the same shape, and an image in another shape is either cropped to fit or shrunk and padded with empty bars. In the first case part of the product is lost; in the second the product looks smaller than its neighbours. The ratio also decides how much room the product has. A tall frame suits a standing model or a long dress; a square frame suits a bag, a shoe or a boxed product. Choosing the ratio before the shoot avoids rebuilding the picture afterwards. ## Common ratios and what they are used for A few ratios cover most of online retail. 1:1 is the square of general marketplaces and product grids. 4:5 and 3:4 are the upright formats of fashion and of social feeds. 2:3 is the classic upright photo frame. 9:16 fills a phone screen in stories and short videos, and 16:9 is the wide frame of banners and video. The ratio is written as width to height, so 4:5 is upright and 5:4 is wide. It says nothing about size: a small and a large image can share one ratio. ## Changing the ratio after the shoot There are three ways to change a ratio, and each costs something. Cropping removes part of the picture. Padding keeps everything and adds plain space, usually white, at two edges. Extending adds new background around the picture, which keeps the product at full size but creates image area that was never photographed. Which one fits depends on the picture. A product on plain white pads without a trace. A model in a scene has to be extended or reshot, since a white bar beside a street looks like a mistake. > **With Herofab** > > Fit a photo to your marketplace's dimensions — padded, never cropped. > > [Marketplace image resizer](https://herofab.app/tools/marketplace-image-resizer) ## Aspect ratio and related terms - **[Image dimensions](https://herofab.app/glossary/image-dimensions):** Image dimensions are the width and the height in pixels. The aspect ratio is the relation between those two numbers; images of very different dimensions can have the same ratio. - **![A pair of cream leather pumps on white](https://herofab.app/img/ex/heels-packshot-1100.webp) [Product fill](https://herofab.app/glossary/product-fill):** Product fill is the share of the frame that the product occupies. Padding an image to a new ratio lowers the fill, which can matter where a marketplace sets a minimum. - **[Outpainting](https://herofab.app/glossary/outpainting):** Outpainting extends an image beyond its edges by generating new background. It is the way to reach a new ratio without cropping the subject or adding bars. - **[Thumbnail](https://herofab.app/glossary/thumbnail):** A thumbnail is the small version of an image shown in lists. It is usually cut to the ratio of the grid, so an image in another ratio loses its edges there first. ## A checklist before changing the ratio - The target ratio comes from the rule of the sales channel, not from the camera's default. - After the change the whole product is still inside the frame, with some space on every side. - Padding has the same colour as the background, so that no bar or edge is visible. - Extended areas were looked at closely: floors, shadows and patterns continue without a seam. - The image is still large enough in pixels after cropping, since cropping removes pixels as well as area. ## Aspect ratio, answered. **How do I change a photo's aspect ratio without cropping the product?** Add image area instead of cutting it away. Padding fills the missing space with a plain colour, which suits a product on white; extending the background continues the scene, which suits on-model and lifestyle photos. Herofab's Extend frame generates only the new area around the original image, so the product itself stays untouched. **Which aspect ratio should I shoot product photos in?** Shoot with room around the product, in whatever ratio the camera offers, so the photo can be cut to more than one shape. Marketplaces differ: some want square images, others upright ones, and a photo framed tightly for one cannot become the other without losing part of the product or adding background. A loose frame with the product centred can be cropped to both. **Is aspect ratio the same as image size?** No. Image size, or image dimensions, is the number of pixels in width and height. The aspect ratio is only the relation between the two. A square image can be small or large; both are 1:1. A marketplace usually sets both: a ratio, so that listings line up, and a minimum size, so that the image stays sharp. **What happens when I upload an image in the wrong aspect ratio?** That depends on the marketplace. Some refuse the file, some crop it to their grid, and some shrink it and fill the rest with white or grey bars. Cropping can cut off part of the product, and bars make it look smaller beside other listings. Herofab's free Marketplace image resizer fits a photo inside a marketplace's recommended dimensions and pads it with white, without cutting the product. **Which aspect ratio works for both a shop and social media?** No single ratio fits every place, so the practical answer is a master image with room around the subject. From an upright master with space on all sides, a 1:1 for a product grid, a 4:5 for a feed and a 9:16 for a story can all be cut without losing the product. A tightly framed master allows none of these. ## What marketplaces say about it. Updated 25 September 2026 - **Walmart:** Square (1:1), 2,200 × 2,200 pixels [Official page](https://marketplacelearn.walmart.com/guides/Item%20setup/Item%20content,%20imagery,%20and%20media/Product-detail-page:-Image-guidelines-&-requirements) - **TikTok Shop:** Up to nine square images [Official page](https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=3196690250417921) - **Zalando:** 1:1.44, upright [Official page](https://partner.zalando.com/university/article/zalando-image-guidelines) - **ABOUT YOU:** 3:4, upright, for model and bust images [Official page](https://docs.partner.aboutyou.com/user-guide/product-image-requirements) - **Amazon:** Clothing main images close to 3:4 (width to height) [Official page](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/help/hub/reference/external/G200498950) - **Trendyol:** 1,200 × 1,800 pixels (2:3) [Official page](https://developers.trendyol.com/docs/%C3%BCr%C3%BCn-yaratma-v2) Related [Extend frame](https://herofab.app/tools/extend-image) · [Marketplace image resizer](https://herofab.app/tools/marketplace-image-resizer) · [Product fill](https://herofab.app/glossary/product-fill) · [Image zoom](https://herofab.app/glossary/image-zoom) · [Main image](https://herofab.app/glossary/main-image) · [Image file format](https://herofab.app/glossary/image-file-format) · [DPI](https://herofab.app/glossary/dpi) · [Image dimensions](https://herofab.app/glossary/image-dimensions) · [Megapixel](https://herofab.app/glossary/megapixel) · [Outpainting](https://herofab.app/glossary/outpainting) · [Image upscaling](https://herofab.app/glossary/image-upscaling) · [Full-length shot](https://herofab.app/glossary/full-length-shot) · [Image cropping](https://herofab.app/glossary/image-cropping) · [Size chart image](https://herofab.app/glossary/size-chart-image) · [All terms](https://herofab.app/glossary/) Free tools [Product photo checker](https://herofab.app/tools/product-photo-checker) [Marketplace image resizer](https://herofab.app/tools/marketplace-image-resizer) [Image compressor](https://herofab.app/tools/image-compressor) [AI image label checker](https://herofab.app/tools/ai-image-checker)