Resolution reference
4096 × 2160 resolution (DCI 4K)
Short answer
4096 × 2160 (DCI 4K, cinema 4K) is a 256:135 landscape resolution with 8,847,360 pixels (8.85 megapixels). Cinema 4K - slightly wider than consumer UHD, which is why exports sometimes gain thin bars.
Key takeaways
- 4096 × 2160 is DCI 1.9:1, landscape, 8,847,360 pixels (8.85 MP).
- Cinema 4K - slightly wider than consumer UHD, which is why exports sometimes gain thin bars.
- For video, YouTube's 2160p (4K) tier applies: 35-45 Mbps at 24-30 fps, about 263-338 MB a minute.
- Printed at 300 DPI it is 13.7 × 7.2 inches.
4096 × 2160 specifications
| Width × height | 4,096 × 2,160 pixels |
|---|---|
| Also called | 4096x2160, DCI 4K, cinema 4K, 4K DCI |
| Aspect ratio | 256:135 (DCI 1.9:1), decimal 1.8963 |
| Orientation | landscape |
| Total pixels | 8,847,360 (8.85 megapixels) |
| Compared with 1080p | 4.27× the pixels of 1920 × 1080 |
| Diagonal | 4,631 pixels |
| Rotated | 2160 × 4096 |
| Encoder safe | Yes: both sides are even, as H.264 and HEVC with 4:2:0 color require |
4096 × 2160 compared with common resolutions
| Resolution | Pixels | 4096 × 2160 has |
|---|---|---|
| 720p (1280 × 720) | 921,600 | 9.60× as many |
| 1080p (1920 × 1080) | 2,073,600 | 4.27× as many |
| 1440p (2560 × 1440) | 3,686,400 | 2.40× as many |
| 4K UHD (3840 × 2160) | 8,294,400 | 1.07× as many |
4096 × 2160 vs 3840 × 2160 and 4096 × 2160 vs 7680 × 4320
4096 × 2160 has 7% more pixels than 4K UHD (3840 × 2160). On a 32-inch screen that is 145 vs 138 pixels per inch, so text and fine detail look sharper at 4096 × 2160. A game or encoder has to process 1.07× as many pixels per frame, which costs frame rate on the same graphics card and, at equal quality, file size.
8K (7680 × 4320) has 275% more pixels than 4096 × 2160. On a 32-inch screen that is 145 vs 275 pixels per inch, so text and fine detail look softer at 4096 × 2160. A game or encoder processes only 27% as many pixels per frame, which helps frame rates and keeps files smaller.
| 4096 × 2160 | 4K UHD (3840 × 2160) | 8K (7680 × 4320) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pixels | 8,847,360 | 8,294,400 | 33,177,600 |
| Aspect ratio | 256:135 | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| YouTube bitrate, 24-30 fps | 35-45 Mbps | 35-45 Mbps | 80-160 Mbps |
| Desktop space (vs 1080p) | 427% | 400% | 1600% |
Where 4096 × 2160 is used
Digital Cinema Initiatives, formed by the major Hollywood studios in 2002, published its Digital Cinema System Specification in 2005. It defines two image containers, 2K (2048 × 1080) and 4K (4096 × 2160), at a ratio of about 1.90:1, and films are placed inside them at their own aspect ratio.
- The 4K image container of digital cinema: DCI specifies 4096 × 2160 for 4K distribution.
- Cinema cameras and projectors; films are framed inside it at their own shape, such as flat (1.85:1) or scope (2.39:1).
- Shows thin black bars on a 3840 × 2160 TV, or is cropped slightly, because it is wider than UHD.
Pixel density (PPI) by screen size
Pixel density is the diagonal in pixels (4,631) 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 27 inches | 172 | 20 in (51 cm) |
| 32 inches | 145 | 24 in (60 cm) |
| 43 inches | 108 | 32 in (81 cm) |
| 55 inches | 84 | 3.4 ft (1.0 m) |
| 65 inches | 71 | 4.0 ft (1.2 m) |
| 75 inches | 62 | 4.6 ft (1.4 m) |
Print sizes for a 4096 × 2160 image
| Print resolution | Inches | Centimeters | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 DPI | 13.7 × 7.2 | 34.7 × 18.3 | Photo prints, magazines |
| 240 DPI | 17.1 × 9.0 | 43.3 × 22.9 | Inkjet photo prints |
| 150 DPI | 27.3 × 14.4 | 69.4 × 36.6 | Posters seen from a meter or more |
| 72 DPI | 56.9 × 30.0 | 144.5 × 76.2 | Screen only; too coarse for print |
Free tool:DPI and print size calculator
Video at 4096 × 2160: bitrate and file size
| Frame rate | Bitrate | Per minute | Per 10 minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24-30 fps | 35-45 Mbps | about 263-338 MB | about 2630-3380 MB |
| 48-60 fps | 53-68 Mbps | about 398-510 MB | about 3980-5100 MB |
Uncompressed, one 4096 × 2160 frame is 26.5 MB as 8-bit RGB, or 13.3 MB in the 8-bit 4:2:0 format video codecs work in. At 30 fps that is 3,185 Mbps of raw video, which is why every delivery format compresses it.
Posting 4096 × 2160 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 × 570 picture, 70% of the frame is bars | Keeps 30% of the picture (crops the width) |
| 16:9 (YouTube), 1920 × 1080 | 1920 × 1012 picture, 6% of the frame is bars | Keeps 94% of the picture (crops the width) |
| 4:5 (feed portrait), 1080 × 1350 | 1080 × 570 picture, 58% of the frame is bars | Keeps 42% of the picture (crops the width) |
| 1:1 (square), 1080 × 1080 | 1080 × 570 picture, 47% of the frame is bars | Keeps 53% 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 4096 × 2160
- In an editor, set the sequence or export frame size to 4096 × 2160; 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=4096:2160 -c:a copy out.mp4 - With FFmpeg, keep the whole picture and add bars:
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -vf "scale=4096:2160:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease,pad=4096:2160:(ow-iw)/2:(oh-ih)/2" -c:a copy out.mp4 - Upscaling a smaller source to 4096 × 2160 makes the file bigger without adding detail; scale down from a larger master when you can.
| Scale | Size | Pixels |
|---|---|---|
| 25% | 1024 × 540 | 552,960 |
| 50% | 2048 × 1080 | 2,211,840 |
| 75% | 3072 × 1620 | 4,976,640 |
| 150% | 6144 × 3240 | 19,906,560 |
| 200% | 8192 × 4320 | 35,389,440 |
Same 256:135 shape:2048 × 1080
Check a file against 4096 × 2160
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 4096×2160 4K?
Yes. 4096×2160 is DCI (cinema) 4K. Consumer 4K UHD is slightly narrower at 3840×2160, which is why a DCI master gains thin bars on a UHD screen.
What aspect ratio is 4096×2160?
DCI 1.9:1 (exactly 256:135), a width-to-height ratio of 1.8963.
What bitrate should a 4096×2160 video use for YouTube?
YouTube recommends 35-45 Mbps at 24-30 fps and 53-68 Mbps at 48-60 fps for its 2160p (4K) tier (SDR). That is about 263-338 MB per minute at standard frame rates, before audio.
How does 4096×2160 compare with 1080p?
It has 4.27× the pixels of 1920×1080 (8,847,360 vs 2,073,600). Encoding time and file size at equal quality scale roughly with pixel count.
What is 4096×2160 resolution called?
4096 × 2160 is also called DCI 4K, cinema 4K, 4K DCI. Cinema 4K - slightly wider than consumer UHD, which is why exports sometimes gain thin bars.
How many megapixels is 4096×2160?
8,847,360 pixels, which is 8.85 megapixels. A 12-megapixel phone photo (4032 × 3024) has 1.4× as many.
How big can I print a 4096×2160 image?
At 300 DPI, the usual photo-print target, 13.7 × 7.2 inches (34.7 × 18.3 cm). At 150 DPI, fine for posters viewed from a distance, twice that: 27.3 × 14.4 inches.
Sources and how we checked
- YouTube Help: Recommended upload encoding settings (checked 2026-10-05)
- DCI: Digital Cinema System Specification (checked 2026-10-06)
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.