Best Screen Resolution for Video Editing: What You Need
How to choose the right monitor resolution, panel type, and display setup for professional and enthusiast video editing workflows.
How to choose the right monitor resolution, panel type, and display setup for professional and enthusiast video editing workflows.
Last updated: February 2026
Video editing is one of the most display-demanding tasks you can do on a computer. Your monitor must serve two distinct purposes simultaneously: providing enough workspace for the editing interface (timeline, bins, effects panels, scopes) and delivering an accurate preview of your footage. These two demands often pull in different directions, and understanding the trade-offs is essential for choosing the right resolution.
Higher resolution means more pixels on screen, which translates to more interface elements visible at once. On a 1920x1080 (Full HD) display, a typical non-linear editor like DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, or Final Cut Pro feels cramped. The timeline occupies a narrow strip at the bottom, the viewer panel is small, and switching between editing, color grading, and audio mixing requires constantly rearranging panels. Jump to 2560x1440 (1440p), and you get roughly 78% more pixels. Panels can spread out, the timeline shows more of your edit, and the overall experience becomes significantly more comfortable.
At 3840x2160 (4K), you have four times the pixel count of Full HD. This is where video editing truly breathes. You can have a generously sized viewer panel running at full 1080p pixel-for-pixel, a wide timeline showing dozens of seconds or minutes of your edit, and still have room for bins, effects, and audio meters. For editors working on 4K or higher resolution footage, a 4K monitor also allows pixel-for-pixel preview of the source material, which is invaluable for checking focus, detail, and fine grading work.
You can check your current screen resolution and see how it compares to standard video formats using the DisplayPixels screen size tool.
Here is how the most common monitor resolutions stack up for video editing work, considering both workspace and preview quality.
| Resolution | Pixels |
|---|---|
| 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) | 2,073,600 |
| 2560 x 1440 (QHD / 1440p) | 3,686,400 |
| 3440 x 1440 (Ultrawide QHD) | 4,953,600 |
| 3840 x 2160 (4K UHD) | 8,294,400 |
| 5120 x 2880 (5K) | 14,745,600 |
Full HD is the minimum viable resolution for video editing, and frankly, it feels limiting. The timeline is narrow, the viewer is small, and 4K footage can only be previewed at quarter resolution or scaled down. That said, if budget is extremely tight, you can absolutely edit video at 1080p. Professional editors worked at this resolution (and lower) for years. The experience is less comfortable, not impossible. For anyone buying a new monitor, however, 1080p is hard to recommend for editing work in 2026.
1440p hits a sweet spot for many editors. The extra resolution provides a much more comfortable workspace, and the pixel density at 27 inches (approximately 109 PPI) keeps text and UI elements crisp without requiring operating system scaling. You can preview 1080p footage at pixel-for-pixel resolution while still having space for interface elements. 4K footage can be previewed at slightly over half resolution, which is good enough for most editing decisions though not ideal for pixel-level detail work. For a deeper comparison of these resolutions, see our 4K vs 1440p vs 1080p guide.
Ultrawide monitors are increasingly popular with video editors for good reason. The extra horizontal space is perfect for timelines, which are inherently horizontal. A 34-inch ultrawide at 3440x1440 gives you roughly 34% more horizontal pixels than a standard 2560x1440 display, which translates directly into seeing more of your timeline without scrolling. The 21:9 aspect ratio also pairs naturally with cinematic footage. Some editors use the extra width to dock their bins or effects panels on one side while keeping a standard-width viewer and timeline on the other.
4K is the gold standard for serious video editing. The workspace is enormous, and you can preview 4K footage at full resolution in a generously sized viewer panel. Color grading becomes more precise because you can see fine detail in skin tones, gradients, and shadows. The main consideration with 4K at the common 27-inch size is that at 163 PPI, you will likely want to use 125-150% display scaling, which gives you effectively less workspace than the raw pixel count suggests. A 32-inch 4K monitor at 137 PPI can be used at 100% scaling by most people, maximizing your usable workspace.
Apple's Studio Display and Pro Display XDR run at 5K (5120x2880) and 6K (6016x3384) respectively. These resolutions, combined with 2x Retina scaling, provide a 2560x1440-equivalent workspace with razor-sharp rendering. Every pixel of the interface is rendered at double density, producing the crispest possible text and UI elements. The visual quality is stunning, but the effective workspace is equivalent to 1440p, just rendered beautifully. For editors who want both maximum workspace and maximum sharpness, a 4K 32-inch monitor at 100% scaling actually provides more usable screen real estate.
One of the most common questions about 4K video editing is whether you need to play back 4K footage in real time on your timeline. The answer depends on your hardware and workflow.
Editing 4K footage natively means your editing software decodes the full-resolution files in real time during playback. This is the most straightforward workflow but also the most hardware-intensive. Compressed formats like H.264 and H.265 are particularly demanding to decode because they use inter-frame compression, meaning each frame depends on preceding and following frames. Professional codecs like ProRes and DNxHR are designed for editing and decode much more efficiently, but the files are significantly larger.
To edit 4K natively with smooth playback, you generally need a fast modern CPU (8+ cores), at least 32GB of RAM, a dedicated GPU with hardware decode support, and fast storage (NVMe SSD or a RAID array of SSDs). If your system struggles with native 4K playback, you have two options: reduce the playback resolution in your editor (most editors let you set the viewer to half or quarter resolution), or use proxy workflows.
Proxy editing is the professional solution to the 4K playback problem. You create lower-resolution, easily-decodable copies of your footage (typically 1080p ProRes Proxy or DNxHR LB), edit with those lightweight files, and then the software automatically switches back to the original full-resolution files when you export or do final color grading. Every major NLE supports proxy workflows: Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, and Avid Media Composer all have built-in proxy generation.
With proxies, even a modest laptop can smoothly edit footage from high-end cinema cameras. The workflow adds an initial transcode step (which can run overnight or during meals) but makes the actual editing experience buttery smooth. When you switch to the original files for final output, the full 4K (or 6K, or 8K) quality is preserved.
Here is an uncomfortable truth that resolution-focused discussions often miss: for video editing, color accuracy is more important than resolution. A perfectly calibrated 1440p monitor will help you make better color decisions than a poorly calibrated 4K monitor. The reason is fundamental. Resolution affects how much you can see and how comfortable the editing process is. Color accuracy affects whether what you see is true, which determines whether your grading decisions translate correctly to your audience's screens.
For SDR video work, your monitor should cover at least 99% of sRGB and have a Delta E (color accuracy error) of 2.0 or less out of the box. For HDR and wide gamut work, target 95% or higher DCI-P3 coverage. Use the DisplayPixels Color/HDR tool as a quick check, and consider investing in a hardware colorimeter for proper calibration. See our monitor calibration guide for step-by-step instructions.
If you are grading HDR content, your monitor requirements increase substantially. You need a display capable of at least 1,000 nits peak brightness (for mastering to HDR10 specifications), wide gamut coverage of DCI-P3, and true 10-bit color depth to avoid banding in gradients. VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification or higher is a reasonable baseline for HDR grading work. For a thorough understanding of HDR standards and what they mean for your workflow, read our HDR explained guide.
The panel technology in your monitor fundamentally affects its suitability for video editing. Here is what each type offers.
IPS is the workhorse of professional video editing. It offers excellent color accuracy, wide viewing angles (typically 178 degrees), and consistent brightness across the screen. When you lean to one side or have a colleague looking over your shoulder, the image does not shift in color or brightness. IPS panels do have limitations: contrast ratios are typically 1000:1 to 1500:1, which means blacks look more like dark gray in a dimmed editing suite. For SDR work, this is perfectly acceptable. For HDR grading, the limited native contrast is a bigger concern, though mini-LED backlights with local dimming have dramatically improved IPS contrast performance.
OLED is the premium choice for video editors who work with HDR content or who demand the most accurate blacks and shadow detail. Each pixel emits its own light, producing infinite contrast ratios and perfect blacks. This is transformative for grading dark scenes, where the difference between a very dark gray and true black can change the entire mood of a shot. OLED also offers the fastest response times (virtually no motion blur) and the widest color volume, maintaining saturation even at extreme brightness levels. The downsides are potential burn-in risk (mitigated in newer panels but still a consideration for editors who leave static UI elements on screen for hours), lower peak brightness than the brightest mini-LED panels, and higher cost.
VA panels offer significantly better native contrast than IPS (typically 3000:1 to 5000:1) at a lower price than OLED. This makes dark scenes look more convincing than on IPS. However, VA panels suffer from significant color shift at wider viewing angles, slower response times that can produce smearing in fast motion, and less consistent color accuracy compared to IPS. For casual video editing or when budget is tight, VA can work, but it is not the top choice for professional color-critical work.
Mini-LED is not a panel type per se but a backlight technology paired with IPS or VA panels. It uses thousands of tiny LEDs divided into hundreds or thousands of dimming zones, allowing the backlight to brighten and dim independently in different areas of the screen. This dramatically improves contrast, approaching OLED in many scenes while maintaining the higher peak brightness that LCD panels are capable of. For HDR video editing, a high-zone-count mini-LED monitor can be an excellent choice, offering bright HDR highlights with deep local blacks.
Many professional video editors use two monitors: one for the editing interface and one as a dedicated preview display. This setup has significant advantages.
The primary monitor runs your editing software with all panels, timeline, and controls. The secondary monitor displays a clean, full-screen preview of your footage. This means your preview is not compromised by interface elements overlapping it, and you can evaluate the image as your audience will see it. DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, and Final Cut Pro all support dual-monitor output with a dedicated preview screen.
The secondary monitor can be a different resolution than your primary. Many editors use a 4K primary for workspace and a calibrated 1080p or 4K secondary for preview. The preview monitor should be the more color-accurate of the two, since that is where you make grading decisions.
Position the preview monitor directly in front of you at eye level, since this is where you will spend the most focused visual attention during color work. Place the interface monitor slightly to the side or below. This mirrors the traditional broadcast editing suite layout where the reference monitor is the primary focus and controls are peripheral.
A single ultrawide monitor can sometimes replace a dual-monitor setup for editors who primarily need more timeline space rather than a dedicated reference preview. A 34-inch or 38-inch ultrawide at 3440x1440 or 3840x1600 provides ample horizontal space for both a timeline and a viewer panel without the bezels and color inconsistencies that can occur between two different monitors.
Here are practical recommendations based on different budget levels and use cases.
A 27-inch 1440p IPS monitor is the best value for video editing in this price range. Look for models with 99%+ sRGB coverage and factory calibration. Dell S2722QC (4K) sometimes falls into this range on sale and is an excellent pick. At 1440p, the Dell S2722DC or LG 27QN880-B offer good color accuracy with ergonomic stands.
This is where 4K becomes comfortably achievable with good color accuracy. The Dell UltraSharp U2723QE, BenQ PD2725U, and ASUS ProArt PA279CRV all offer 4K resolution, wide gamut coverage (95%+ DCI-P3), factory calibration, and professional build quality. A 34-inch ultrawide like the Dell U3423WE is another strong option in this range if you prefer timeline space over pixel-for-pixel 4K preview.
At this level, you access the best IPS and OLED panels with comprehensive color accuracy. The ASUS ProArt PA32UCR and BenQ SW321C are excellent 32-inch 4K options with hardware LUTs and Calman-verified accuracy. The LG UltraFine OLED 32EP950 provides reference-grade OLED quality. For HDR grading, look for mini-LED options with high zone counts and VESA DisplayHDR 1000+ certification.
Apple's Pro Display XDR, Sony's BVM-HX310, and EIZO's ColorEdge PROMINENCE CG3146 represent the top tier. These monitors are used in post-production facilities and broadcast environments where absolute accuracy is non-negotiable. They offer 1000+ nit sustained brightness, extensive calibration options, and industry certifications.
Your choice of editing software can influence monitor requirements and how well high-resolution displays are utilized.
Resolve is particularly well-suited to high-resolution monitors because its interface is highly customizable. The dual-monitor mode allows you to place the entire UI on one screen and a clean output on another. Resolve's built-in scopes (waveform, vectorscope, histogram, CIE chromaticity) benefit greatly from the extra space a 4K or ultrawide monitor provides. Resolve also supports full HDR output to compatible displays, including Dolby Vision and HDR10 monitoring.
Premiere Pro supports display scaling on high-DPI monitors and works well at 4K resolution. The workspace presets can be customized to take advantage of extra screen real estate. Premiere's Lumetri Color panel is more effective on larger monitors where you can see both the scopes and the color wheels simultaneously without constantly switching panels.
Final Cut Pro is optimized for Apple hardware and takes excellent advantage of high-resolution Retina displays. The magnetic timeline particularly benefits from horizontal space, making ultrawide and large 4K displays excellent companions. Final Cut natively supports ProRes RAW, which displays beautifully on 4K monitors.
No, you do not strictly need a 4K monitor to edit 4K video. Your editing software can display a downscaled preview of 4K footage on a lower-resolution monitor. However, a 4K monitor lets you view your footage at full resolution pixel-for-pixel, which is essential for checking focus, detail, and fine adjustments. It also gives you significantly more workspace for your timeline, bins, and panels.
Proxy editing creates smaller, lower-resolution copies of your original footage that are easier for your computer to play back in real time. You edit using these lightweight proxy files, and the software automatically reconnects to the full-resolution originals when you export. This lets you edit 4K or higher resolution footage smoothly even on modest hardware, without affecting the final output quality.
Ultrawide monitors (21:9 or 32:9 aspect ratio) are excellent for video editing because they provide substantial horizontal space for your timeline, allowing you to see more of your edit at once without scrolling. A 34-inch ultrawide at 3440x1440 gives you roughly the workspace of two standard monitors in a seamless format, which many editors find more comfortable than a dual-monitor setup.
IPS panels are the most popular choice for video editing because they offer excellent color accuracy, wide viewing angles, and consistent brightness across the screen. OLED panels provide even better color accuracy with perfect blacks and infinite contrast, making them ideal for HDR grading. VA panels offer good contrast but have limited viewing angles. TN panels should be avoided for any color-critical work.
Color accuracy is generally more important than raw resolution for professional video editing. A color-accurate 1440p monitor will produce better grading results than an inaccurate 4K monitor. Ideally, you want both, but if budget forces a choice, prioritize a well-calibrated monitor with good gamut coverage (95%+ DCI-P3 for HDR work or 99%+ sRGB for SDR work) over the highest possible resolution.