Change Video Resolution: 4K to 1080p, 1080p to 720p

How to change video resolution

1. Choose the video above. The file card shows its current resolution and codec.
2. Open New size. Each step on the ladder lists the exact dimensions your video will get. Steps above your video are marked "(larger than the original)" and the matching one "(same as the original)". The first step below your video is already selected.
3. If you need a size between the steps, type a width in pixels instead; the height follows the original shape.
4. Press "Resize video" and keep the tab open while the progress bar runs.
5. Download the MP4. The result card shows the new dimensions and the bitrate used.

Why the steps are named by the short side

"1080p" means 1080 pixels on the short side of the frame. That is why the same step works for any shape:

3840×2160 landscape at 1080p

1920×1080

2160×3840 vertical phone clip at 1080p

1080×1920

1920×1080 at 720p

1280×720

1440×1080 (4:3) at 720p

960×720

3840×1600 cinema-wide at 1080p

2592×1080

Nothing is cropped and no bars are added; only the number of pixels changes. The 540p step (960×540 for 16:9) is a useful halfway point between 720p and 480p for previews and chat apps.

Reasons to lower the resolution

• Smoother editing: a laptop that stutters on a 4K timeline usually copes with a 1080p copy, which has a quarter of the pixels.
• Older screens: some TVs, tablets and projectors won't play 4K at all.
• Faster uploads and smaller files: the bitrate is worked out from the new frame size and the original's bitrate, so a smaller frame usually means a smaller file.
• Upload limits: some course platforms, intranets and forms cap the resolution they accept.

If what you really need is a file under a certain number of megabytes, compress the video instead. The compressor asks for a target size and lowers the resolution itself when the target calls for it.

4K phone videos and HEVC

Many phones record 4K in HEVC (H.265); iPhones do so when the camera format is set to High Efficiency. To scale such a file, the browser first has to decode HEVC, and that depends on the operating system and hardware. If yours can't, the tool says so when you open the file, and another browser on the same computer may succeed. The HEVC compatibility guide explains where HEVC plays.

The output is an MP4, using H.264 when the browser can encode it. That has a side benefit: a 1080p H.264 copy plays on PCs and TVs that can't handle the HEVC original. The tool works through the browser's WebCodecs interface, which can use the computer's built-in video decoder and encoder, and it reads the source as it goes rather than loading the whole file into memory. Large results are written to the browser's private storage where available. Long 4K files still take time, so keep the tab open until the download appears.

Upscaling doesn't add detail

Steps marked "(larger than the original)" are there for the occasional case that needs them, such as a platform with a minimum resolution or an edit timeline that expects 1080p clips. Enlarging 720p to 1080p creates new pixels by blending the existing ones; edges get smoother but no new detail appears, and the file grows. If a video looks soft, upscaling won't fix it.

Resolution, shape and frame rate are separate

This tool keeps the shape and the frame rate exactly as they were. For the other changes:

• A different shape, such as 16:9 to square or adding bars: resize video.
• A different frame rate, such as 60 fps to 30 fps: change the frame rate.
• Keeping only part of the picture: crop video.

Examples

Limits

• Every frame is decoded and encoded again; there is no copy-only route for a resolution change. Speed depends on your device and the length of the clip.
• Encoding needs WebCodecs video encoding: a current Chrome or Edge, Safari 16.4 or later, or Firefox 130 or later on a computer.
• The output is always MP4. The soundtrack is copied as it was when MP4 can hold it.
• Dimensions are rounded to even numbers, as video encoders require.

Need the words too?

A lower-resolution copy is often made for a course, an archive or a client review. If the speech should be searchable or subtitled, video to text transcribes it in 100 languages at 1 credit (0.1¢) per minute with a 5-credit minimum. The video stays in your browser; only its audio track is uploaded, and it is deleted within 30 minutes of the job finishing.