This Free Calculator Figures Out Your Anamorphic Aspect Ratios

Anamorphic lenses are a regular part of many cinematographers’ kits, especially as new anamorphic lenses become more affordable and more cameras include more video recording features that help anamorphic optics shine. However, it can be challenging to envision the final scene, since anamorphic lenses squeeze the frame. A new online calculator can help filmmakers dial in the perfect settings with their anamorphic lenses and nail the framing every time.

As spotted by CineD, Blazar, who makes many anamorphic lenses itself, just released a robust online calculator to help filmmakers dial in the perfect anamorphic workflow and know precisely how much they will need to crop to achieve the desired output.

Experienced filmmakers may be able to visualize their final frame when using various anamorphic lenses, but for those who are perhaps new to anamorphic lenses, using a different camera than usual, or just wanting to ensure they know exactly how they will need to crop the final frame to achieve the desired output aspect ratio, Blazar’s new online calculator may be handy.

To take full advantage of the Blazar Anamorphic Calculator, filmmakers need to enter either their recording aspect ratio or recording resolution. So, for example, someone may be recording 3:2 open gate video on a full-frame mirrorless camera or using a 16:9 crop of the sensor, a common setting.

Next, the user must select their anamorphic lens squeeze factor. The options include common ones like 1.3x and 1.5x, which cover many anamorphic lenses on the market, as well as settings for 1.8x, 2x, and even custom anamorphic squeeze ratios.

Once the video recording info and anamorphic squeeze is selected, the calculator will tell the user what the desqueezed image aspect ratio without any cropping will be. In the case of a 16:9 recording with a 1.5x lens, it is 2.67:1.

The calculator’s final trick is letting filmmakers select their desired aspect ratio. For this example, let’s say the filmmaker wants 2.39:1 for their final output, a common cinematic aspect ratio. In this case, the filmmaker will need to crop 10.4% horizontally, which will affect how they frame each shot while filming. The calculator includes a helpful visual showing what the cropped area looks like.

Technically, photographers can even use this calculator. Some photographers, including PetaPixel editor-in-chief, Jaron Schneider, have used anamorphic lenses designed for video for still photography. It can be a fun experiment and result in incredible shots.

Image credits: Blazar