Megapixel Calculator

A megapixel is one million pixels. To find a sensor or image's megapixel count, multiply its width by its height in pixels and divide by one million. This is the number camera makers advertise (e.g. "24MP"), though real-world sharpness also depends on lens quality, sensor size, and processing.

You can also work backward: given a target megapixel count and an aspect ratio (like 3:2 for most DSLRs or 4:3 for many compacts), the calculator finds the pixel width and height that hit that megapixel count while keeping the ratio.

Example: a 6000 × 4000 pixel image is 24 megapixels (6000 × 4000 ÷ 1,000,000). Working backward, a target of 24 megapixels at a 3:2 ratio also produces 6000 × 4000 — the two directions are inverses of each other.

Megapixels = width × height ÷ 1,000,000 — marketing sometimes rounds sensor sizes differently from exact pixel counts.

Reverse mode picks dimensions at a chosen aspect ratio closest to a target megapixel count.

Worked example: 6000×4000 = 24 megapixels.

Pixel binning on phone sensors outputs lower megapixel JPEGs than raw sensor readout — a 108 MP mode may bin to 12 MP default; enter exported file dimensions, not marketing mode names, when planning prints. Phone binning outputs fewer MP than sensor marketing — enter actual export width×height, not mode names, when planning print sizes. Save pixel-accurate exports when megapixel math must match the file you actually deliver to clients.

Video frame grabs (4K = 3840×2160 ≈ 8.3 MP) rarely suffice for large fine-art prints — calculate megapixels before assuming a paused film frame can become a 24×36 poster at 300 DPI. 4K frame grabs (~8.3 MP) rarely suffice for 24×36 posters at 300 DPI — calculate MP before promising paused-video wall art to clients.

Reverse mode targeting 24 MP at 3:2 aspect yields 6000×4000 — close to many APS-C and entry full-frame still resolutions, useful when specifying minimum camera requirements for client deliverables. Reverse 24 MP at 3:2 → 6000×4000 — close to many current APS-C and entry full-frame still resolutions for deliverable spec sheets.