How to Add a Border or Frame to a Photo
Frame a photo with a white, coloured or gradient border, rounded corners and a soft shadow — or pad it to a square for Instagram without cropping. Free.
3 min read ·
To add a border to a photo, open Add Border to Image, add the picture, choose a solid colour or a gradient, set the thickness, and optionally round the corners, add a soft shadow or a thin inner line. Download the framed photo as a PNG. The border thickness is set as a share of the photo, so it looks the same at any resolution.
Add a border step by step
- Open Add Border to Image and add your photo.
- Choose the border fill: a solid colour (white, black, cream, a brand colour) or a gradient.
- Set the thickness.
- Optionally:
- Round the corners for a softer, modern look.
- Add a soft shadow so the photo seems to float above the border.
- Add a thin inner line in a contrasting colour, like the mat of a framed print.
- Use Make square to pad a portrait or landscape photo to a perfect square.
- Check the preview and Download PNG. PNG keeps rounded corners transparent.
Instagram without cropping
Instagram crops portrait and landscape photos to fit its shapes. To post the whole picture, pad it with a border instead:
- Choose Make square (or a white or black border).
- The photo sits in the middle of a square frame, with border colour filling the extra space.
- Post it as a square, and nothing is cut off.
Many photographers use a thin, consistent white border on every post for a clean, gallery-like feed. For other shapes — 4:5 portrait posts or Stories — the Social Media Image Resizer can fit the whole photo with a blurred or coloured background.
Border styles and when to use them
| Style | Looks like | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Thin white | A printed photo | Social feeds, portfolios |
| Thick white with thin dark line | A gallery mat | Art prints, framed-look posts |
| Black | Film, cinema | Black-and-white and moody photos |
| Gradient + rounded corners + shadow | Modern app screenshot | Slides, product updates, tutorials |
| Brand colour | Your identity | Marketing posts, announcements |
Polished screenshots
Screenshots for presentations, blog posts and social media look much more professional with a gradient border, rounded corners and a soft shadow — the style used in app launches and product updates. Crop the screenshot to the interesting part first, then frame it.
Printing
For prints, a white border around the picture gives the photo breathing room and makes it easier to mount and frame. Make the border slightly thicker at the bottom for a traditional "gallery" look — or keep it even for a modern one.
Combine and frame
To frame several photos together — a before-and-after or a mini collage — combine them first with Combine Images, then add an outer border around the whole set.
Round frames
For a circular frame — profile pictures, avatars, team photos — use Round Image Crop instead, which crops to a circle or squircle with transparent corners.
Frequently asked questions
Will the border change my photo's quality?
No. The photo is placed unchanged inside the border; the image just gets larger to include the frame.
Why PNG?
PNG keeps every pixel exactly and supports transparent rounded corners. If you need a smaller file for sharing, convert it to JPG with the Image Converter — the corners then fill with the background colour.
Is my photo uploaded?
No. Everything happens in your browser.