Add a Border to a Photo
Put a border around your photos — an even mat in any colour and width, or the Polaroid layout with a deep caption margin at the bottom. Widths can be set in percent so a mixed batch comes out looking consistent instead of arbitrary, and an optional inner hairline keeps light images from bleeding into a white frame. Runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Drop photos here
JPG / PNG / WebP · multiple allowed · same border applied to each
How to add a border
- Drop the photos in.
- Choose even or Polaroid, then set the width — 2–4% is a normal mat, 8%+ is a statement.
- Pick the colour. White for print and galleries, black for screens, off-white (#F6F3EC) if pure white looks harsh next to your image.
- Add a 1–2 px inner hairline if the photo has light edges.
- Click Add border.
Choosing a width that looks deliberate
Borders read as intentional when they are either clearly thin or clearly generous — the awkward zone is in between. A 1–2% border is a clean edge; 3–5% is a print mat; 8–12% with a Polaroid bottom is a deliberate object. Match the colour to where the image will live: a white border disappears on a white page and frames the photo on a dark one, which is exactly backwards from what most people expect.
Related jobs
To reach a specific aspect ratio rather than just adding an edge, use Make square (1:1 with padding) or Crop JPG (cut to any ratio). To sign the photo rather than frame it, Add watermark places text or a logo, tiled or positioned, at an opacity you choose.
FAQ
Should I set the width in pixels or percent?
Percent, if you are doing a batch of mixed sizes — a 3% border looks the same on every photo, while a fixed 30 px border is a hairline on a 6000 px image and a slab on a 400 px one. Pixels are right when the output has to match an exact size, or when every input is already the same dimensions.
What does the Polaroid preset do?
It gives you a thin, even border on three sides and a deep margin at the bottom — the proportions of an instant-film print, and the space people use for a handwritten caption. It is the same geometry that reads as "photo print" in a collage or a slide.
What is the inner hairline for?
A thin dark line right at the edge of the photo, inside the outer border. It separates a light-toned image from a white mat so the picture does not appear to bleed into the frame — a standard gallery-printing trick. Set it to 0 to switch it off.
Does the image get bigger?
Yes. The border is added outside the original pixels, so a 1000×800 photo with a 40 px border becomes 1080×880. Nothing is cropped or scaled. If you need the finished file to be an exact size, add the border first and then resize.
Can I use it to make an image square?
Not directly — this adds an even border, so a rectangle stays a rectangle. Make square is the tool that pads unevenly to reach 1:1, with a solid or blurred fill.