Published: October 9, 2021 | Last Updated: September 17, 2024
Understanding video resolution is an essential part of being a video editor. Nearly every platform where you may post a video requires a specific resolution. Instagram posts in a square 1:1 format, TikTok posts in a vertical 9:16 format, and many others.
The standard HD resolution for a video is 1920 x 1080, commonly referred to as 1080p. What if you need to change your video to match the resolution for one of these platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or Snapchat that doesn’t use the traditional 1080p resolution?
This article will explore how to change the sequence resolution in Premiere Pro and list some common resolutions as a quick guide for you to reference later.
How to change the sequence resolution
This article assumes you know how to create a sequence in Premiere Pro. I created a sequence with a 1920 x 1080 video clip in the Project Panel that matches the clip’s settings.
Let’s say you created this sequence and want to upscale the video to 4K. 1920 x 1080 is in the 16:9 aspect ratio, so we will want to ensure a matching resolution to keep the aspect ratio the same. The standard 4K resolution for 16:9 is 3840 x 2160.
To change the resolution, we will need to access the sequence settings. In the Project Panel, right-click the sequence and click Sequence Settings.
You can see the resolution under Video > Frame Size. As mentioned earlier, 1920 x 1080 is currently entered.
Next, replace the 1920 and 1080 with 3820 and 2160. Enter 3840 for Horizontal and 2160 for Vertical. The resolution has now changed.
You must complete one additional step when upscaling or downscaling the sequence.
Resizing content after changing the resolution
The content on your timeline must be scaled to fit the new resolution. You can do this quickly by selecting all of the clips (Window Control+A/Mac Command+A) and selecting Scale to Frame Size or Set to Frame Size. Read this article to learn about the difference between the two.
An alternative method is to create a new sequence using the old sequence. In the Project Panel, right-click on the original sequence and select New Sequence From Clip.
Premiere will create a Nested sequence of the original sequence to act as one clip.
A nested sequence is easier to upscale or downscale because you only have to adjust the scaling of one clip rather than all of your original clips. This is also helpful when creating videos for social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok because you can quickly resize your video to fit their resolution requirements.
Resolution quick reference guide
Here is a quick reference guide to some of the most common video resolutions. H stands for Horizontal, and V stands for Vertical.
16:9 aspect ratio – YouTube, TVs, computer, etc
- SD 480p – 720H x 480V
- HD 720p – 1280H x 720V
- HD 1080p – 1920H x 1080V
- UHD 4K 2160p – 3840H x 2160V
1:1 aspect ratio – Instagram, Facebook, etc
- 1000H x 1000V
- 1080H x 1080V
9:16 aspect ratio – Instagram Stories/Reels, TikTok, Snapchat, etc
- 1080H x 1920V
Conclusion
Changing the resolution of a sequence is extremely easy but also very important. Play around with the resolution of your videos to learn how to adhere to the different platform requirements.
Up Next: Premiere Pro keyboard shortcuts to optimize your workflow.
