Fix a picture the wrong shape
Tell a picture shown properly from one stretched to fill the screen.
Programs are made in different shapes. An old show is nearly square, a movie very wide, and your screen neither.
Black bars mean the whole picture is shown. Stretching fills the screen by widening every face.
Key points
- Black bars mean you are seeing the whole picture
- Stretch fills the screen by distorting what is on it
What to remember
- The setting is called picture size, or aspect ratio.
- Bars mean the whole picture. Stretch means a wider face.
Try this
Find Picture size or Aspect ratio in your own television settings and see what it is set to.
Practice: Fix a picture the wrong shape. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.