About the Add Border to Image
Add Border to Image wraps a frame around your picture. Choose the width and colour of the border, round the corners anywhere from square to a full circle or oval, and add a drop shadow with its own blur and offset. The border is added outside the picture, so nothing is cropped and the file gets bigger. Save the result as a PNG, which can keep the corners and shadow see-through, or as a JPG, which fills them with a solid colour. Rounded corners and shadows are drawn into the pixels, not kept as editable shapes. It runs in your browser.
Updated September 2026
How to use the Add Border to Image
- 1Select a picture, or drop one on the page.
- 2Move Border width and choose a colour with the swatch, hex code or quick buttons.
- 3Raise Rounded corners for softer corners, and tick Shadow to add one.
- 4Choose what appears outside the border, then PNG or JPG.
- 5Check the preview and click Download.
Adding a simple border
Start with the Border width slider. A thin border of 10 to 30 pixels gives a neat outline; 60 to 120 pixels creates a wide mat like a framed print. The width is measured on the original picture, so it looks proportionally thinner on a very large photo.
Pick a colour that supports the picture. White and black are safe. A colour taken from the photo, such as the blue of the sky, can tie the frame to the image.
Rounded corners and shadows
Rounded corners soften the look and suit profile pictures, stickers and cards. The setting is a percentage of the shorter side, so it scales with the picture. A small value of 5 to 10 percent gives a gentle curve, while 50 percent makes a circle from a square.
A shadow lifts the picture off the page. Blur controls softness and offset sets the distance. Keep both moderate for a natural look.
- Blur 15 to 30 with offset 6 to 12 works for most pictures.
- A larger blur needs more room, so the canvas grows automatically.
- Shadows show best on light backgrounds.
PNG or JPG: transparent corners
PNG keeps transparency, so rounded corners and shadows can float over any background. JPG cannot, so the tool fills them with white or your border colour. Choose JPG only when you need a small file or a site accepts nothing else.
If the finished file is large, run it through Compress Image, or use Image Resizer to set exact dimensions.
Borders for social media posts
Borders are a quick way to fit a photo into a square post without cropping. Add a white or coloured border until the shape looks right, then use Image Resizer for exact pixels. For a round profile picture, Round Profile Photo crops to a circle, while this tool keeps the whole picture and frames it.
To place several pictures together first, use Combine Images, and trim unwanted edges with Crop Image before adding the frame.
Features
- Border width up to 200 px
- Any border colour
- Rounded corners up to a full circle or oval
- Adjustable drop shadow
- Transparent, white or matching outside background
- PNG or JPG output
- Live preview and output size
- Private: the picture stays on your device
Frequently asked questions
How do I add a white border to a photo?
Open the photo, leave the border colour on white, and set the width you want with the slider. The preview shows the framed photo straight away. Click Download to save it. A width of around 3 to 6 percent of the picture's long side looks like a classic photo print.
Can I make the corners round?
Yes. Raise Rounded corners; the border and picture are cut together. At the maximum of 50 percent a square picture becomes a circle and a wide one becomes an oval. Choose PNG if you want the corners to stay see-through.
How do I add a drop shadow?
Tick Shadow, then set Shadow blur for how soft it is and Shadow offset for how far it falls down and to the right. The canvas grows to leave room for the shadow so it is not cut off. Shadows look best on a transparent or light background.
Will the border make my image bigger?
Yes. The border sits outside the picture, so the output is larger by twice the border width in each direction, plus space for a shadow if you use one. The Output size line under the preview shows the exact pixels.
Can I keep the background transparent?
Yes, with PNG and the Transparent background option. That is selected for you when you use rounded corners or a shadow. JPG cannot be transparent, so those areas are filled with white or the border colour instead.
Which colour border suits Instagram?
White is the classic choice for a gallery look and blends with the app's light theme. Black gives a dramatic frame on a dark theme, and a soft cream is gentler than pure white. Try a thin border first, since bulky frames shrink the photo in the feed.