Resolution reference
2560 × 1440 resolution (QHD / 1440p)
Short answer
2560 × 1440 (1440p, QHD) is a 16:9 landscape resolution with 3,686,400 pixels (3.69 megapixels). Between 1080p and 4K; common for gaming capture and high-end monitors.
Key takeaways
- 2560 × 1440 is 16:9, landscape, 3,686,400 pixels (3.69 MP).
- Between 1080p and 4K; common for gaming capture and high-end monitors.
- For video, YouTube's 1440p (2K) tier applies: 16 Mbps at 24-30 fps, about 120 MB a minute.
- Printed at 300 DPI it is 8.5 × 4.8 inches.
2560 × 1440 specifications
| Width × height | 2,560 × 1,440 pixels |
|---|---|
| Also called | 2560x1440, 1440p, QHD, WQHD, often sold as 2K |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9, decimal 1.7778 |
| Orientation | landscape |
| Total pixels | 3,686,400 (3.69 megapixels) |
| Compared with 1080p | 1.78× the pixels of 1920 × 1080 |
| Diagonal | 2,937 pixels |
| Rotated | 1440 × 2560 (see that page) |
| Encoder safe | Yes: both sides are even, as H.264 and HEVC with 4:2:0 color require |
2560 × 1440 compared with common resolutions
| Resolution | Pixels | 2560 × 1440 has |
|---|---|---|
| 720p (1280 × 720) | 921,600 | 4.00× as many |
| 1080p (1920 × 1080) | 2,073,600 | 1.78× as many |
| 1440p (2560 × 1440) | 3,686,400 | 1.00× as many |
| 4K UHD (3840 × 2160) | 8,294,400 | 44% as many |
2560 × 1440 vs 1920 × 1080 and 2560 × 1440 vs 3840 × 2160
2560 × 1440 has 78% more pixels than 1080p (1920 × 1080). On a 27-inch screen that is 109 vs 82 pixels per inch, so text and fine detail look sharper at 2560 × 1440. A game or encoder has to process 1.78× as many pixels per frame, which costs frame rate on the same graphics card and, at equal quality, file size.
4K UHD (3840 × 2160) has 125% more pixels than 2560 × 1440. On a 32-inch screen that is 92 vs 138 pixels per inch, so text and fine detail look softer at 2560 × 1440. A game or encoder processes only 44% as many pixels per frame, which helps frame rates and keeps files smaller.
| 2560 × 1440 | 1080p (1920 × 1080) | 4K UHD (3840 × 2160) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pixels | 3,686,400 | 2,073,600 | 8,294,400 |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| YouTube bitrate, 24-30 fps | 16 Mbps | 8 Mbps | 35-45 Mbps |
| Desktop space (vs 1080p) | 178% | 100% | 400% |
Where 2560 × 1440 is used
QHD is four times the pixels of 720p HD, hence "quad HD". Monitor makers call it 2K, but the cinema 2K standard is 2048 × 1080.
- 27-inch gaming and office monitors: sharper than 1080p, far lighter on graphics cards than 4K.
- YouTube's 1440p tier, with 16 Mbps recommended at 24-30 fps; some creators upload 1080p projects at 1440p so YouTube streams them at a higher bitrate.
- Gameplay capture and screen recordings from 1440p monitors.
Pixel density (PPI) by screen size
Pixel density is the diagonal in pixels (2,937) divided by the screen diagonal in inches. The last column is the distance at which a person with normal vision stops seeing individual pixels (one arcminute of visual acuity).
| Screen diagonal | PPI | Pixels blend at about |
|---|---|---|
| 13.3 inches | 221 | 16 in (40 cm) |
| 15.6 inches | 188 | 18 in (46 cm) |
| 21.5 inches | 137 | 25 in (64 cm) |
| 24 inches | 122 | 28 in (71 cm) |
| 27 inches | 109 | 32 in (80 cm) |
| 32 inches | 92 | 3.1 ft (1.0 m) |
Print sizes for a 2560 × 1440 image
| Print resolution | Inches | Centimeters | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 DPI | 8.5 × 4.8 | 21.7 × 12.2 | Photo prints, magazines |
| 240 DPI | 10.7 × 6.0 | 27.1 × 15.2 | Inkjet photo prints |
| 150 DPI | 17.1 × 9.6 | 43.3 × 24.4 | Posters seen from a meter or more |
| 72 DPI | 35.6 × 20.0 | 90.3 × 50.8 | Screen only; too coarse for print |
Free tool:DPI and print size calculator
Video at 2560 × 1440: bitrate and file size
| Frame rate | Bitrate | Per minute | Per 10 minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24-30 fps | 16 Mbps | about 120 MB | about 1200 MB |
| 48-60 fps | 24 Mbps | about 180 MB | about 1800 MB |
Uncompressed, one 2560 × 1440 frame is 11.1 MB as 8-bit RGB, or 5.5 MB in the 8-bit 4:2:0 format video codecs work in. At 30 fps that is 1,327 Mbps of raw video, which is why every delivery format compresses it.
Posting 2560 × 1440 to social platforms
How the frame lands in each common shape, either fitted whole with bars or scaled up to fill and cropped:
| Target frame | Fit with bars | Fill and crop |
|---|---|---|
| 9:16 (TikTok, Reels, Shorts), 1080 × 1920 | 1080 × 608 picture, 68% of the frame is bars | Keeps 32% of the picture (crops the width) |
| 16:9 (YouTube), 1920 × 1080 | Fills exactly | No crop needed |
| 4:5 (feed portrait), 1080 × 1350 | 1080 × 608 picture, 55% of the frame is bars | Keeps 45% of the picture (crops the width) |
| 1:1 (square), 1080 × 1080 | 1080 × 608 picture, 44% of the frame is bars | Keeps 56% of the picture (crops the width) |
Free tools:Crop video to 9:16Crop video to 16:9Crop an image to 4:5
How to resize to 2560 × 1440
- In an editor, set the sequence or export frame size to 2560 × 1440; if the source has a different shape, choose scale to fill (crop) or scale to fit (bars) rather than stretch.
- With FFmpeg, exact size:
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -vf scale=2560:1440 -c:a copy out.mp4 - With FFmpeg, keep the whole picture and add bars:
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -vf "scale=2560:1440:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease,pad=2560:1440:(ow-iw)/2:(oh-ih)/2" -c:a copy out.mp4 - Upscaling a smaller source to 2560 × 1440 makes the file bigger without adding detail; scale down from a larger master when you can.
| Scale | Size | Pixels |
|---|---|---|
| 25% | 640 × 360 | 230,400 |
| 50% | 1280 × 720 | 921,600 |
| 75% | 1920 × 1080 | 2,073,600 |
| 150% | 3840 × 2160 | 8,294,400 |
| 200% | 5120 × 2880 | 14,745,600 |
Same 16:9 shape:1920 × 10801280 × 7203840 × 2160854 × 480640 × 360426 × 2407680 × 43201366 × 7681600 × 900
Check a file against 2560 × 1440
Extension and MIME type are labels, not proof of the container. Dimensions and duration come from this browser's media reader. The frame rate is measured by playing the first frames muted; a file faster than your screen's refresh rate reads low. This does not detect codecs, bitrate, corruption or platform upload compatibility. Files and measurements are not sent anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
Is 2560×1440 2K or 4K?
Neither, strictly. 2560×1440 is QHD (1440p). It is often sold as "2K", but cinema 2K is 2048×1080; 4K UHD (3840×2160) has 2.25× as many pixels.
What aspect ratio is 2560×1440?
16:9, a width-to-height ratio of 1.7778.
What bitrate should a 2560×1440 video use for YouTube?
YouTube recommends 16 Mbps at 24-30 fps and 24 Mbps at 48-60 fps for its 1440p (2K) tier (SDR). That is about 120 MB per minute at standard frame rates, before audio.
How does 2560×1440 compare with 1080p?
It has 1.78× the pixels of 1920×1080 (3,686,400 vs 2,073,600). Encoding time and file size at equal quality scale roughly with pixel count.
What is 2560×1440 resolution called?
2560 × 1440 is also called 1440p, QHD, WQHD, often sold as 2K. Between 1080p and 4K; common for gaming capture and high-end monitors.
How many megapixels is 2560×1440?
3,686,400 pixels, which is 3.69 megapixels. A 12-megapixel phone photo (4032 × 3024) has 3.3× as many.
How big can I print a 2560×1440 image?
At 300 DPI, the usual photo-print target, 8.5 × 4.8 inches (21.7 × 12.2 cm). At 150 DPI, fine for posters viewed from a distance, twice that: 17.1 × 9.6 inches.
Sources and how we checked
- YouTube Help: Recommended upload encoding settings (checked 2026-10-05)
Pixel counts, ratios, PPI, print sizes, data rates and platform fits are computed from the width and height. Device figures are the makers' own; bitrates are YouTube's recommendations. Reviewed October 6, 2026 by the Koldflux team.