Why De-squeezing Isn’t Just a Stretch

Anamorphic lenses squeeze the image horizontally onto the sensor, so the raw recorded frame looks stretched and tall until it’s de-squeezed in post. But de-squeezing by the lens’s squeeze factor usually produces a wider-than-standard aspect ratio, which then needs a further crop to match a delivery ratio like 2.39:1. Skipping that second step is a common reason anamorphic footage looks slightly off in an edit — the de-squeeze alone isn’t the finish line.

How the De-squeeze Is Calculated

The squeeze factor only affects the horizontal dimension, so this tool multiplies your recorded width by the squeeze factor to get the true de-squeezed width, while height stays the same. That gives the de-squeezed aspect ratio, which is then compared against your target delivery ratio to calculate whether you need to crop the sides (if the de-squeezed image is wider than the target) or the top and bottom (if it’s narrower).

Why Squeeze Factor Varies by Lens

Common anamorphic squeeze factors include 1.3x, 1.5x, 1.8x, and 2.0x, and each produces a different de-squeezed aspect ratio from the same sensor readout. Always confirm the exact squeeze factor for your specific lens rather than assuming a round number — some manufacturers rate their lenses slightly off the nominal figure.

This tool is especially useful for:

• Anamorphic shooters planning framing before a shoot, knowing how much will be cropped in the de-squeeze.
• Editors and colorists setting up de-squeeze and crop values correctly in the timeline.
• Anyone choosing a squeeze factor for a project targeting a specific delivery aspect ratio.