Add a solid border or Polaroid-style frame around any image.
Processed in your browser — the image is never uploaded.
How do you add a border to an image?
Grow the canvas by the border width on each side and fill it before drawing the image inset, so nothing is cropped. Measure a percentage border against the shorter side — a fixed pixel width looks generous on a thumbnail and invisible on a full-resolution photo.
Understanding your result
Measuring a percentage border against the shorter side is what keeps framing consistent. A fixed 20-pixel border looks generous on a 400-pixel thumbnail and almost invisible on a 4000-pixel photo, so any batch of differently sized images ends up looking inconsistent. Anchoring to the shorter side also stops a very wide panorama from getting an absurdly thick frame. If you are adding a white border to a photograph with light areas near the edge, the thin inner outline is worth enabling — without it the image and the border blend together and the frame stops reading as intentional.
Formula and method
The output canvas is the original width plus twice the border, by the original height plus twice the border, plus any extra Polaroid margin at the bottom. A percentage border is calculated against the shorter side of the image.
Assumptions and limitations
Only a solid single-colour border is supported — no gradients, patterns, drop shadows or decorative frames. The border is uniform on all four sides apart from the optional Polaroid bottom margin, so asymmetric framing needs an image editor. Adding a border changes the aspect ratio, which matters if you are targeting a platform that expects an exact shape.
Worked example
A 1000 × 600 photo with a 5% border gains 30 pixels on each side (5% of the 600px shorter side), giving a 1060 × 660 result.
How to use this tool
- Choose your image.
- Set the border width and pick pixels or percent.
- Choose a colour, and tick Polaroid if you want a deeper bottom edge.
- Download the framed image.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using a fixed pixel border across images of very different sizes.
- Adding a white border to a light photo without an inner outline.
- Forgetting that the border changes the aspect ratio.
- Choosing JPG for a border that needs to be transparent.
About the Add Border to Image
This tool adds a solid border around an image by growing the canvas rather than cropping, so nothing is lost. Set the width in pixels or as a percentage of the shorter side, choose any colour, and optionally add a deeper bottom margin for a Polaroid look.
Who should use this tool
Anyone framing photos for social media, presentations or print.
Benefits
- Percentage widths scale consistently across different image sizes.
- Grows the canvas rather than cropping, so no content is lost.
- Polaroid mode leaves room for a handwritten-style caption.
- Optional hairline outline to separate a light photo from a white border.
Practical use cases
- Adding white space around a photo for an Instagram post.
- Framing screenshots for a presentation.
- Creating a Polaroid-style print layout.
- Separating a light-toned image from a white page background.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use pixels or a percentage?
Percentage, if you are framing several images of different sizes — it keeps them visually consistent. Pixels are fine for a single image at a known resolution.
Does adding a border crop my image?
No. The canvas grows outwards, so the entire original image is preserved and the output is simply larger.
What is Polaroid style?
A frame with an even border on three sides and a noticeably deeper margin at the bottom, imitating an instant photo and leaving space for a caption.
Can I have a transparent border?
Effectively yes — choose PNG and the padding will simply be the colour you pick. For genuine transparency, use a colour matching your background.
Why add a border at all?
It separates the image from the page, fits a non-square photo into a square crop without cutting anything, and gives a deliberate, finished look to a set of images.