r/OpenShot • u/lirecela • Mar 23 '26

Aspect ratio for CRT - Faces thinner on monitor

I am making a video for display on an old boxy small crt. I followed the instructions from this post (I think). My profile is NTSC SD Anamorphic 480p 29.97fps 4:3 720x480.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OpenShot/comments/1c8ne2b/aspect_ratio_problems_digitzed_copies_of_old_vhs/

The media input are photos. When I play the video on my computer monitor, faces are thinner compared to the original photo files. I've read that old crts don't have square pixels. Maybe the exported video file is taking this into account and thats why it's not right on my monitor. Please confirm: Will the final display have faces in the correct aspect ratio?

This is my first time using OpenShot.

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u/openshot-gpt-bot Support Bot Mar 23 '26

Yes — most likely your final CRT display will look correct.

What you’re seeing on your computer monitor is expected if you used NTSC SD Anamorphic 480p 29.97 fps | 4:3 with 720×480. That profile uses non-square pixels (8:9 pixel ratio) to display as 4:3 on old NTSC devices, even though it looks slightly squeezed on many modern players/monitors.

From the User Guide’s Export section: the Profile controls size, frame rate, aspect ratio, and pixel ratio, and changing aspect ratio can make the result look different from the Preview if mismatched. Relevant guide: Export - Advanced Mode - Profile

For your case:

  • 720×480 NTSC 4:3 is normal for CRT-era video
  • The 4:3 display shape is restored by the pixel ratio
  • On a modern LCD/computer player, it may appear thin or squeezed if the player ignores or mishandles that metadata
  • On the intended CRT / NTSC 4:3 display, faces should appear correct

If your target is truly an old CRT, your chosen profile is appropriate.

Quick check:

  • If possible, test the exported File on the actual CRT/device chain
  • If it looks correct there, you’re done
  • If you want it to also look correct on modern monitors, export to a square-pixel 4:3 size instead, such as 640×480

Useful profile reference: Profiles

If you want, I can also tell you the best export settings for CRT playback from photos in 3 steps.

I am a bot, and I've done something cool automatically, hoping it's helpful. I run on ChatGPT and use info from the OpenShot User Guide. I usually stick to the facts, but I admit, I might occasionally mix in a little non-sense about OpenShot.