How do I Convert 43 Digital Photos to 169 Format?

Convert 4:3 digital photos to 16:9 with photo editing software.

You can convert a digital photograph from 4:3 to 16:9 in two ways. The first method preserves the entire photograph with borders. The second method results in losing 1/4 of the image top-to-bottom in order to fill the whole frame without distortion.

Things You'll Need

• Copy of original 4:3 photograph file
• Photo editing software

Instructions

Preserve Photo With Borders

1. Open a copy of the original 4:3 photo in photo editing software.

2. Change the canvas size to 16:9 aspect ratio. To do this, maintain the same height and keep the original photograph in the center. Calculate the new width by dividing the original height by 9 and multiplying by 16. Round to the nearest pixel. Calculate the original height by viewing the image properties.

3. Fill the empty border to the left and right with a color of your choice. White and black are commonly used.

4. Save the photograph.

Crop Photo Without Borders

1. Open a copy of the original 4:3 photo using photo editing software.

2. Create a selection rectangle with the same width as the original photo and a ratio of 16:9. Calculate the rectangle's height by dividing the width by 16 and multiplying by 9. Round to the nearest pixel. Calculate the original width by viewing the image properties.

3. Move the selection rectangle over the section of the photograph you wish to keep. Ensure that it covers the full width of the image.

4. Crop or copy the selection. Remove unselected parts of the photo with the crop tool, or copy the current selection to a new file.

Tips & Warnings

• Use pixels as the unit of measurement for greater accuracy when calculating image dimensions.

• If your software doesn't have an option to change canvas size, create a new file with the correct dimensions then copy and paste the original photograph into it.

• If you are unable to move a selection box without also moving that section of the image, draw the selection box in the correct position.

• If you don't want to preserve original proportions, you can use the image size/scale tool to resize from 4:3 to 16:9 ratio.

• Always use a copy of the original file.

References

• University of Massachusetts: How to Make Basic Image Adjustments Using Microsoft Office Picture Manager (Windows)
• Wofford College: Photoshop Elements 3--Preparing an Image for Printing