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Fixing the aspect ratio
Sometimes, when you watch videos on a display with different proportions, you may experience stretching or black bars around the edges. To prevent that, you can change the video's proportions to adapt it to the display beforehand.
![](images/drex_changing_the_aspect_ratio_custom.png)
![](images/drex_changing_the_aspect_ratio_custom_2.png)
Black bars and stretching when watching a 4:3 video on a 16:9 screen.
What is the aspect ratio?
A video's aspect ratio is the ratio between its width and height. The two most commonly used aspect ratios are 4:3 and 16:9, the former used by most analog television broadcasts, while the latter, also referred to as widescreen – in films, DVDs, and modern HD video.
![](images/drex_changing_the_aspect_ratio_custom_3.png)
A visual comparison of two popular aspect ratios.
Step 1: Click the Edit button next to the file that you want to fix.
![](images/drex_changing_the_aspect_ratio_custom_4.png)
Step 2: In the editing window, switch to the Crop tab.
Step 3: Make sure that the Maintain aspect ratio option is selected and choose your display's aspect ratio. This will set the crop frame to these proportions.
![](images/drex_changing_the_aspect_ratio_custom_5.png)
Step 4: In the player, drag the frame's edges so that it covers as much of the video as possible. Drag the frame to the center of the video.
Step 5: Click Apply to accept the aspect ratio changes, and then click Done to close the editing window.
![](images/drex_changing_the_aspect_ratio_custom_6.png)
Now, after you convert the video, it will have the same aspect ratio as your display.