Why the Camera Photo Does Not Fit the Layout Container

Use this guide when a camera photo or AI-processed photo does not line up correctly with the camera area in a layout. The photo may appear too small, cut off, stretched, or misaligned with the transparent part of the frame.

This usually happens because the camera photo and the camera container in the layout do not use the same aspect ratio.

At a Glance

The real fix is to make the camera container the same shape as the photo produced by the camera.

Symptoms

You may see one or more of these results:

• The camera image does not fill the transparent area of the frame.
• Empty space appears around the photo.
• Part of the photo, logo, or subject is cut off.
• The person looks stretched or squeezed.
• The issue appears only in the final output, even though the layout looks correct in the editor.

Your camera produces a photo with a fixed shape, called its aspect ratio.

The camera container in the Layout Builder also has a shape, based on the selected Aspect Ratio.

If the camera photo and the layout container use different ratios, the system has to decide how to place one shape inside another. The selected Scaling Mode controls how the mismatch appears.

• Fit keeps the full photo visible, but may leave blank space.
• Crop fills the container, but may cut off part of the photo.
• Fill forces the photo into the container, but may stretch the subject.

The scaling mode is not the real problem. It only changes how the ratio mismatch appears.

Once the camera container ratio matches the actual camera photo ratio, the image should fit correctly with Scaling Mode: Fit.

Common Camera Aspect Ratios

To match the container correctly, first check what ratio your camera produces.

Orientation matters. A landscape ratio becomes inverted in portrait.

Examples:

• 1200 × 1800 = 2:3
• 1800 × 1200 = 3:2
• 1080 × 1920 = 9:16
• 1920 × 1080 = 16:9
• 480 × 640 = 3:4

If you are not sure, check the original captured photo resolution and reduce the width and height to the simplest ratio.

Scaling Modes Explained

The camera element has three scaling modes.

Fit

Fit preserves the photo’s original aspect ratio and shows the entire photo inside the camera container.

Use Fit when the source photo ratio matches the camera container ratio. This is the recommended setting because it does not crop or stretch the photo.

If the ratios do not match, Fit may leave empty space around the photo.

Crop

Crop preserves the photo’s aspect ratio and fills the entire camera container.

Use Crop only as a workaround when the layout cannot be changed. It usually looks better than stretching, but part of the photo may be trimmed.

Fill

Fill forces the photo to fill the entire camera container.

Avoid Fill for people, faces, products, or anything where distortion matters. It does not preserve the original aspect ratio and may make the subject look stretched.

Follow these steps in order.

1. Check the Camera Source Photo

Find the original photo captured by the camera and check its resolution.

Confirm whether the source is a DSLR, webcam, phone, or another camera type. Different cameras may produce different aspect ratios.

2. Check the AI-Processed Photo

If AI processing is used, check the AI-processed image resolution as well.

The AI-processed photo should keep the expected photo ratio. If the original photo and AI-processed photo come back with different ratios, contact Support and include both files.

Support may request:

• Original camera photo
• AI-processed photo
• Layout file
• Workflow file

3. Check the Camera Element in the Layout Builder

In the Layout Builder:

1. Select the camera element.
2. Open the photo/camera settings panel.
3. Review:
• Aspect Ratio
• Custom width and height, if Custom is selected
• Scaling Mode

Example:

• Camera photo: 2:3
• Layout camera container: 3:4
• Result: the photo will not naturally fit the container

4. Match the Layout Ratio to the Camera Photo

The best fix is to make the camera container ratio match the real camera photo ratio.

Examples:

• If the camera produces portrait DSLR photos, set the camera element to 2:3.
• If the camera produces portrait photos from a 16:9 webcam, set the camera element to 9:16.
• If the camera produces standard portrait webcam photos, set the camera element to 3:4.
• If the frame uses a custom opening, make sure the custom camera element ratio matches the real camera output.

After matching the ratio, set Scaling Mode to Fit.

This gives the cleanest result: no blank space, no cropping, and no stretching.

When to Use Crop

Use Crop only when the layout design cannot be changed or you need a quick workaround.

Crop fills the container while preserving the photo’s proportions, but it may trim the edges of the image. This can affect heads, hands, logos, props, or parts of the background.

[Insert screenshot: same layout using Crop as workaround]

Avoid Fill

If switching to Fill makes the photo cover the full area but the person looks stretched, the ratios do not match.

Do not use Fill as the final fix. Match the camera container ratio to the source photo, or use Crop as a temporary workaround if the layout cannot be adjusted.

Example

A 16:9 webcam used in portrait orientation may produce a 9:16 photo.

If the layout camera container is set to a custom shape that is closer to square, the photo will not naturally fit.

With Fit, the full image is shown, but large blank areas may appear.

With Crop, the container is filled, but part of the image may be trimmed.

The correct fix is to set the camera container to 9:16 and keep Scaling Mode set to Fit.

Quick Reference

Camera image fitting issues are usually caused by mismatched aspect ratios between the camera source photo and the camera container in the layout.

The best solution is to match the layout camera element ratio to the actual camera output and use Scaling Mode: Fit.

Use Crop only when the layout cannot be adjusted. Avoid Fill when working with people, faces, products, or anything that should not be distorted.