The resolution is the dimension of a render measured in pixels. The aspect ratio is how wide a render is compared to how tall it is. Both the resolution and aspect ratio are easily changed in Blender.

There will need to be a camera in the scene for the resolution settings to work. Here’s an detailed guide for all of Blender’s camera settings.

How to Change the Resolution in Blender

To change the render resolution in Blender, go to the Output Properties Panel. At the top are settings for the X (horizontal) resolution and Y (vertical) resolution. Enter the desired width and height (in pixels) for the render.

The Resolution % setting is an option to keep the same aspect ratio (width to height ratio) but increase the total number of pixels proportionally.

This can be used to set the final render resolution and then to test render at a lower resolution. For example, the test render may be 50% or 25% resolution.

The resolution settings in the render output properties tab are set to the default of 1920 x 1080.
Industrial 3D Models in the Blender viewport.
Industrial greeble assets in Blender 3D viewport.
Blender Resolution & Aspect Ratio Settings Tutorial (Micro Tip)

How to Change the Aspect Ratio in Blender

The aspect ratio in Blender can be changed manually by changing the X Resolution, the Y Resolution or both to a desired resolution (ie: 4096 x 2160) in the Output Properties Panel.

We can also adjust the horizontal and vertical ratio using the pixel ratio adjustment settings below the resolution settings. This should rarely be done.

The default pixel ratio will be 1:1 square pixels. Changing this value will actually change the aspect ratio of each pixel causing non-square (anamorphic) pixels.

The pixel aspect ratio settings in render output tab in Blender are set to 1:1.
a 3d character in a blender scene and the resolution settings

Resolution Presets

Blender has common resolutions (and aspect ratios) stored as presets. The presets can easily be selected and populate the horizontal and vertical resolution values and other render settings.

To use a resolution preset, click the preset icon to the right of the “Format” tab in the Output Properties Panel. Choose the desired preset from the list.

At the bottom of the list, we can enter a name and press the plus icon to save the current resolution as a preset for future use.

We can remove any resolution preset by clicking the minus icon next to the preset.

Fourteen common render presets are displayed in the expanded presets menu of the output properties tab.

Common Resolution Presets in Blender

Here is a list of common resolution dimensions which come saved as presets in Blender. Presets include settings for the Resolution (X & Y), the pixel aspect ratio and the frames per second for animations.

Preset NameHorizontal
Resolution
Vertical ResolutionAspect XAspect YFrames Per Second
4K DCI 2160p409621601124
4K UHDTV 2160p384021601124
4K UW 1600p384016001124
DVCPRO HD 720p9607204324
DVCPRO HD 1080p128010803224
HDTV 720p12807201124
HDTV 1080p (default)192010801124
HDV 1080p144010804323.98
HDV NTSC 1080p144010804329.97
HDV PAL 1080p144010804325
TV NTSC 4:3720486101129.97
TV NTSC 16:9720480403329.97
TV PAL 4:3720576121125
TV PAL 16:9720576161125
Pixel resolution, aspect ratios and FPS for Blender output presets

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