Time needed: 5 minutes.
Learning how to measure digital picture size to frame size can have a big impact on your frame’s viewing experience. It helps you free up a lot of storage space, which is something that doesn’t come plentiful on many digital picture frames.
You’ll learn how to measure the size of your digital picture frame, and how to see, measure, and crop the pictures you send to your frame via USB/SD card, mobile app, web interface, and more.
You’ll also learn some handy tips for getting pictures to fit your frame’s aspect ratio and resolution – leaving you with less distorted and cropped images.
Let’s get started!
- Get your digital frame’s measurements and aspect ratio
The first step in learning how to measure digital picture size to frame size is to get the right measurements. You’ll often see measurements of digital frames as 10-inches, 8-inches, 15-inches, and so on – but what do they mean? Digital frames are generally measured in inches, and that measurement refers to the size of the display. It’s measure diagonally across the screen, from corner to corner.
The screen size measurement is generally very easy to find on the frame’s box or online via the manufacturer’s website. A simple google search can show you the screen size – though this can be confusing if the brand of frame you choose has several different models and versions.
To measure the screen size manually, get a ruler with inch measurements (or cm and convert the measurements later). Lay the frame flat on its back and place the 0-mark of the ruler on the bottom left corner of the display – right where it meets the plastic and metal of the frame. Measure diagonally across the screen to the top right corner of the display. This is the display size.
The most common digital picture frame display size is 10.1-inches. Most digital picture frames will fall into the 8-15-inch range, with some outliers (digital art frames and digital canvasses can get quite large). - Find out your frame’s native resolution
Now that you know your frame’s display size, it’s time to get the resolution and aspect ratio. This is an important part of learning how to measure digital picture size to size as you need to know what picture resolution and aspect ratio will appear the most natural.
On your frame’s original packaging, you’ll find the display’s native resolution. The most common digital picture frame resolution is 800×600 pixels – with the larger number being the horizontal count of pixels from one side of the display to the other. The smaller number is usually the vertical count. Another common resolution is 1024×768.
Simply type “aspect ratio calculator” into Google search. You’ll find plenty of simple calculators that let you input your display’s resolution, and it will calculate its aspect ratio. 800×600 and 1024×768 both have a 4:3 aspect ratio. This is arguably the most versatile aspect ratio as it matches most of the pictures and photos were taken on most smartphones and digital cameras. - Check the resolution of your pictures before sending
Now that you know the display size, resolution, and aspect ratio, it’s time to check the aspect ratio and resolution of the pictures you want to view on the frame. On a computer, right-click on the picture file, open “Properties”. Navigate to the “Details” tab and scroll down to the “Image” section. Here you will see the dimensions (in pixels), the width, and the height of the picture.
- Crop your pictures to match your frame’s display
You can work out the aspect ratio as we did in Step 2. You should try to scale the picture to match your frame’s resolution as closely as possible. This should be done before you crop the image. Crop the image to match the frame’s aspect ratio (usually 4:3, 16:9, or 16:10). This will make sure the picture uses all the available screen real estate and doesn’t need to be cropped or surrounded by black pillar bars.
If you don’t scale your images down to match the frame’s native resolution, they’ll take up more storage space than is necessary. If the frame only displays at a maximum of 800×600, and you add a 1920×1080 image, it will still be displayed at 800×600. All that extra storage space is being used unnecessarily.
In the same scenario, 1920×1080 is a 16:9 aspect ratio. If you’re on an 800×600 display, the image will need to be cropped, distorted, or boxed in by black pillars to fill the unused space. This is why it’s so important to get a digital picture frame with a versatile aspect ratio – generally 4:3 for most pictures (Pix-Star offers a premium digital picture frame with a 4:3 aspect ratio). - Enjoy an immersive viewing experience!
With pictures that match the frame’s aspect ratio, resolution, and display size, you can enjoy them at their best. The whole display will be used edge-to-edge, giving you a more immersive and enhanced viewing experience.
It’s well worth the effort it takes to edit and manage your pictures beforehand. You’ll be rewarded with a natural and high-quality experience that makes connecting with your loved ones easier than ever before!
