4k Video Converter: A Guide on How to Convert 4k Video to 1080p

For converting to a different size, the software only needs to understand how to decode and encode the original format. However, it still must follow the same procedure of decoding the video and re-encoding it. This time, there is an additional step of scaling the video to meet the new size requirements. Such video conversions can make the video bigger, smaller, or even change the aspect ratio so that the video will run natively on a different target device. This is often done so movies released in theaters, where the screen is much wider, can be played without issue on your television. Either the video image will be cropped to fit, or letterboxing will be added.

Today, we'll be talking about the more simple conversion: when you convert 4k to 1080p, which also has a 16:9 aspect ratio. 

Why convert 4k to 1080p?

Despite the ever-increasing size of our hard drives, the demands for space are also increasing. Whether you're storing a video locally on a hard drive and want to fit as many as possible, or need to stream the video over the internet with limited bandwidth, smaller videos are often a huge advantage. In fact, one of the biggest reasons to convert between file formats is to save space. If space and bandwidth wasn't an issue, everyone would use the very large raw video formats that recording and editing software are capable of.

Changing formats isn't the only way to save size, however. A 4k video has roughly 4,000 horizontal pixels. 1080p cuts that number in half, to 1920 pixels. If that sounds confusing, it's because 4k video is named after its horizontal resolution while 1080p video is named after its vertical resolution. Because it's half the size of 4k video in each direction, 1080p is 4 times smaller than its larger, higher-definition counterpart. This means that, if you don't mind the reduction in quality, using a 4k HDR video converter to downsample your 4k videos into 1080p can save a lot of space and bandwidth. This is why 1080p videos stream much better on sites like YouTube when you have a slow internet connection than 4k video does.

The Conversion

Now that you know what a 4k video converter is, and why you would want to use one, you probably want to know how to convert 4k video to 1080p. Luckily, it couldn't be easier. Your favorite video editing software will ask you to provide the output resolution when you export a video. So you can simply import the 4k video, make whatever edits you want, and then select 1080p as the output size. If you don't have a favorite video editor yet, we invite you to try a free download of VideoStudio. With powerful features, an easy-to-use interface, and affordable pricing, VideoStudio makes for an excellent way to convert your 4k videos to 1080p so you can save more of them and stream them easier.