Videos · Glossary
8K resolution and 2K in pixels: 7680 x 4320 and more
8K resolution in TV and video is 7680 by 4320 pixels, defined in ITU-R BT.2020, four times the pixels of 4K UHD at 3840 by 2160. 2K has two meanings: in cinema it is 2048 by 1080, the DCI container, while YouTube and many monitor makers use 2K for 2560 by 1440.
The K numbers describe roughly how many thousand pixels a picture is across, which is why they are both handy and confusing. 8K is now a fixed broadcast standard, but 2K still means two different sizes depending on who is selling it.
Indunil Asanka · Co-founder
4 min read · Published
| Name | Pixels | Pixel count | Ratio | Defined by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2K DCI (cinema) | 2048 x 1080 | 2,211,840 | about 1.9 : 1 | DCI specification |
| 1440p, called 2K by YouTube | 2560 x 1440 | 3,686,400 | 16:9 | YouTube resolution help |
| 1080p Full HD | 1920 x 1080 | 2,073,600 | 16:9 | ITU-R BT.709 |
| 4K UHD | 3840 x 2160 | 8,294,400 | 16:9 | ITU-R BT.2020 |
| 4K DCI (cinema) | 4096 x 2160 | 8,847,360 | about 1.9 : 1 | DCI specification |
| 8K UHD | 7680 x 4320 | 33,177,600 | 16:9 | ITU-R BT.2020 |
Where 8K is defined
ITU-R Recommendation BT.2020, the international standard for ultra high definition television, defines two picture sizes: 3840 by 2160 and 7680 by 4320, both 16:9. The 8K format has exactly twice the width and height of 4K UHD, so four times the pixels, about 33 million. YouTube accepts 8K uploads and lists recommended bitrates for them, 80 to 160 megabits per second for standard frame rates and 120 to 240 for high frame rates in SDR.
The two meanings of 2K
The Digital Cinema Initiatives specification, which cinema projectors follow, defines a 2K container of 2048 by 1080 pixels and a 4K container of 4096 by 2160, and requires projectors to display one of those native resolutions. Those are slightly wider than the TV sizes. In consumer products and on YouTube, 2K usually means 1440p: YouTube's own resolution page labels 2560 by 1440 as 1440p (2K). When a monitor, camera or service says 2K, check the pixel numbers, because 2048 by 1080 and 2560 by 1440 differ by two thirds in pixel count.
Do you need 8K?
For most screens, no. An 8K picture only shows more detail than 4K on very large screens viewed from close up. Where 8K helps is in production: shooting at 8K lets an editor crop, reframe or stabilise and still deliver a sharp 4K or 1080p video. The cost is storage and processing, since an 8K file at the same quality is about four times the size of 4K. For online video, 4K or 1440p uploads already give viewers the sharpest playback most devices can show.
Common mistakes
The first is buying a 2K monitor expecting 2048 by 1080 and getting 2560 by 1440, or the reverse. The second is uploading at 8K to save quality when the editing pipeline already compressed the footage at a lower resolution. The third is confusing 4K UHD, 3840 wide, with cinema 4K, 4096 wide, when delivering to a cinema or festival. The fourth is exporting at a high resolution with a low bitrate, which looks worse than a lower resolution at a fitting bitrate.
Resolutions in the video builder
The video builder makes landscape video at 1920 by 1080 and vertical at 1080 by 1920; it has no 2K or 8K canvas. Exports are one H.264 MP4, and a 4K export is available on the Starter plan and up, while a free account gets an upgrade prompt for it. There is no 8K export. The blank PNG above is 7680 by 4320 pixels, an 8K frame, for thumbnails or title cards made elsewhere; the aspect ratio calculator converts any of these resolutions to matching sizes.
Questions people ask
Is 8K worth it for YouTube?
For most creators, no. YouTube accepts 8K, but few viewers watch on screens that show the difference, and files are huge. Shooting in 8K to deliver a reframed 4K video is a more common reason to use it than uploading 8K itself.
Is 1440p 2K or 2.5K?
Both names are used. YouTube labels 2560 by 1440 as 2K, and many monitor makers do too, while some reviewers call it 2.5K or QHD to keep 2K for the cinema size of 2048 by 1080. The pixel numbers, not the label, tell you what you are getting.
How many megapixels is 8K?
7680 by 4320 is 33,177,600 pixels, about 33 megapixels per frame, four times 4K UHD and sixteen times 1080p. That is why 8K video needs much more storage, bandwidth and processing power than 4K, and why YouTube's recommended 8K bitrates are several times its 4K figures.
What is the difference between 4K UHD and 4K DCI?
4K UHD is 3840 by 2160, the 16:9 size used by TVs, monitors and streaming. 4K DCI is 4096 by 2160, the cinema container defined by Digital Cinema Initiatives. They share a height but cinema 4K is 256 pixels wider.
Can a computer play 8K video?
Many modern computers can play 8K files if they have hardware decoding for the codec, but smooth playback still depends on the graphics chip and the file's bitrate. Editing 8K is much heavier, so editors often work with lower resolution proxy files and switch to the originals for export.
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