Resolution scaling turns up everywhere: games render at 67% or 75% and upscale to your monitor, streamers downscale 1440p to 1080p, photographers export 50% previews and designers prepare @2x assets. The confusing part is that “50%” can mean two different things. Half the pixel count keeps 70.7% of the width and height; half of each side leaves only a quarter of the pixels.
This calculator lets you choose. In the default pixel-count mode, 2560 × 1440 at 50% becomes 1810 × 1018 – 50% of the pixels – which is how many games and GPU drivers describe render resolution. In per-side mode the same setting gives 1280 × 720. Both preserve the aspect ratio.
You can also go the other way: enter two resolutions to see how many more or fewer pixels the second one has, the linear factor, and whether the aspect ratio matches. Moving from 1080p to 1440p, for example, means 177.78% of the pixels, or 133.33% on each side – a useful number when you estimate the performance cost of a new monitor.
How to use the Resolution Scale Calculator
- Original width (px)
- Original height (px)
- I want to
- Scale
- The percentage applies to
- Target width (px)
- Target height (px)
- Pixel density for physical size (optional)
Everything is calculated in your browser, so results appear instantly and nothing you type is sent to a server.
How it works
Enter the original resolution, choose whether the percentage applies to the total pixel count or to each side, and enter the scale – or switch to “find the scale” and enter a target resolution. Scaled sides are rounded to whole pixels; the table shows the usual steps from 25% to 200%.
Worked example
Scale 2560 × 1440 (3,686,400 px) to 50% of its pixel count. The side factor is √0.5 = 0.7071, so the width becomes 2,560 × 0.7071 = 1,810.2 → 1810 and the height 1,440 × 0.7071 = 1,018.2 → 1018, 1,842,580 pixels (49.98% after rounding). With “each side” chosen instead, 50% gives 1280 × 720, only 25% of the pixels. Going from 2560 × 1440 to 1920 × 1080 is 56.25% of the pixels and 75% of each side.
Standard 16:9 resolutions
| Name | Resolution | Pixels | vs 1080p |
|---|---|---|---|
| 720p (HD) | 1280 × 720 | 921,600 | 44.44% |
| 1080p (Full HD) | 1920 × 1080 | 2,073,600 | 100% |
| 1440p (QHD) | 2560 × 1440 | 3,686,400 | 177.78% |
| 4K UHD | 3840 × 2160 | 8,294,400 | 400% |
| 5K | 5120 × 2880 | 14,745,600 | 711.11% |
| 8K UHD | 7680 × 4320 | 33,177,600 | 1,600% |
Formula
Pixel-count scale s: k = √(s ÷ 100), W₂ = W × k, H₂ = H × k · Per-side scale s: k = s ÷ 100 · Scale between resolutions: pixel % = W₂H₂ ÷ (WH) × 100, side % = W₂ ÷ W × 100
Worked example
Inputs — Original width (px): 2,560; Original height (px): 1,440; I want to: Scale this resolution by a percentage; Scale: 50 %; The percentage applies to: Total pixel count (render scale); Pixel density for physical size (optional): 109 PPI.
Results — Scaled resolution = 1,810 × 1,018 px; Scaled width = 1,810 px; Scaled height = 1,018 px; Scaled pixel count = 1,842,580; Scaled megapixels = 1.84 MP; Original pixel count = 3,686,400.
Key terms
- Resolution
- Width × height of an image or display in pixels.
- Render scale
- The percentage of native resolution a game renders before upscaling.
- Linear scale
- The factor applied to each side; the pixel count changes by its square.
- Upscaling
- Enlarging an image to a higher resolution, by interpolation or AI reconstruction.
Frequently asked questions
What is 1080p at 50% resolution scale?
By pixel count: 1358 × 764 (50% of the pixels). By side: 960 × 540 (25% of the pixels).
What is 1440p at 67% render scale?
By pixel count 2095 × 1179; by side 1715 × 965. Check which one your game means – its menu often shows the resulting resolution.
How many more pixels does 1440p have than 1080p?
3,686,400 vs 2,073,600 – 177.78% of the pixels, or 133.33% of each side.
How many more pixels does 4K have than 1080p?
Exactly four times (400%): 8,294,400 vs 2,073,600 pixels.
Does resolution scale change the aspect ratio?
No – both sides change by the same factor, so 16:9 stays 16:9 (apart from rounding to whole pixels).
Why use a render scale below 100%?
Fewer pixels to shade means higher frame rates; upscalers such as DLSS, FSR or XeSS then rebuild a sharp image at native resolution.