So what exactly is the golden ratio? In simple terms, it is a mathematical constant that appears repeatedly in nature and artwork. Yup – believe it or not, math is really important when creating quality art. To construct a golden rectangle, choose a number that will be the length of the rectangle’s short side. For the sake of this illustration, let’s say 500 pixels. Multiply that by 1.618. The result, 809 pixels, is the length of the long side of your rectangle. Therefore, a rectangle that is 500 pixels by 809 pixels is a golden rectangle. It obeys the golden ratio.
If numbers aren’t your favorite thing in the world, you can always use the rule of thirds and a grid to utilize the golden rule. The rule of thirds governs the placement of points of interest in your image.