Stretch a video to fill the screen, the right way
When a video is narrower than your monitor, there are only a few ways to fill the screen: cut something, stretch something, or both. Each one looks great on some scenes and odd on others. This guide compares them so you can choose with confidence.
The problem in numbers
A 16:9 video on a 3440×1440 monitor is 2560 pixels wide, which leaves 25.6% of the screen black. On a 32:9 monitor such as 5120×1440 half of the screen is black. A 4:3 clip is worse: 44.2% black on 21:9 and 62.5% on 32:9. To use those pixels, the picture has to change shape or size.
| Video on 3440×1440 | Black without filling | Crop keeps | Stretch widens by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16:9 | 25.6% | 74.4% of the height | 34% |
| 4:3 | 44.2% | 55.8% of the height | 79% |
| 2.00 film | 16.3% | 83.7% of the height | 19% |
The four ways to fill
Crop (free)
The picture is enlarged until it covers the screen, and whatever sticks out at the top and bottom is cut. Nothing is distorted, so faces, text and circles stay true. The cost is picture area: a 16:9 video keeps about three quarters of its height on a 21:9 screen. Crop is the best default for movies, where the important action usually sits in the middle of the frame.
Stretch (free)
The whole picture is kept and stretched evenly to the shape of the screen. Nothing is lost, but everything gets wider. A 19% stretch of a 2.00 film is easy to miss in wide shots. A 34% stretch of a 16:9 video is noticeable on faces, and 79% for a 4:3 clip is clearly visible. Stretch works best for landscapes, nature, sport and games, where shapes are less familiar to the eye.
Elastic stretch (PRO)
Elastic keeps the center of the picture at its natural shape and puts most of the stretch into the edges, where you look less. Faces in the middle stay normal, and the whole frame is still on screen. It is the favourite mode for 16:9 video on 21:9 and 32:9. On protected players such as Netflix or Disney+ the browser does not let extensions read the frames, so elastic uses a gentler, simpler stretch there.
Zoom (free)
Zoom enlarges the picture without changing its shape, like a manual crop. Use it on top of any mode: a little zoom with stretch spreads the change between cutting and stretching. Zoom with Alt + = and Alt + -, or hold Alt and use the mouse wheel.
Which mode for which video
- Cinema movies: crop. A 2.39 movie on a 3440×1440 screen loses practically nothing.
- Series, vlogs, interviews: elastic, or crop with the frame moved up so heads are not cut.
- Nature, sport, driving and games: stretch or elastic. The whole scene stays visible.
- Old 4:3 clips: crop cuts a lot, stretch distorts a lot. Combine a moderate zoom with stretch, or keep the bars and enjoy the original.
Move the frame when crop cuts something
A crop does not have to be centered. Drag the frame in the panel preview to show more of the top or the bottom, or press Alt + Shift + arrows. Subtitles placed low in the frame and heads in close-ups are the usual reasons to move it. Hold Alt + C to see the original view and compare.
How to switch modes in UltraFill
- Add UltraFill to Google Chrome on Windows or macOS.
- Play any video and open the panel: hover over the top of the video and click UltraFill, or press Alt + U (Option + U on a Mac).
- In the Screen tab, click Fill the screen, then choose how to fill: crop, stretch or elastic.
- Adjust zoom and frame position until it looks right.
You can try all three modes without installing anything in the live demo. For the reasons behind the bars, read how to fix black bars on 21:9, and for super wide screens see YouTube in full screen on 32:9.
Questions
Does stretching a video lower its quality?
It scales the picture, like any full screen view. Sharpness stays similar, but shapes get wider. With PRO you can add sharpness if a zoomed picture looks soft.
What is the difference between crop and zoom?
Crop fills the screen exactly with no bars. Zoom enlarges the picture by any amount you choose, and you can combine it with crop or stretch.
Why do faces look wide after stretching?
Stretch widens the whole picture evenly. Elastic stretch keeps the center natural and puts the stretch into the edges, so faces in the middle look normal.
Is stretch free?
Yes. Crop, stretch and zoom are free forever. Elastic stretch is part of PRO, which has a 7-day trial starting the first time you use a PRO feature, with no card.
Does it work on every site?
It works on any page with a video in Google Chrome on Windows and macOS. On protected services you choose the movie format by hand, and elastic uses a gentler stretch.
UltraFill is an independent extension and is not affiliated with Netflix, Disney+, YouTube or any other service mentioned on this page. Service names are used only to describe compatibility.