Image Border & Frame
Add a border or frame to an image - free, no upload.
Your image is framed inside this page. It is never uploaded.
What this tool does
Upload an image and add a solid-color border of any thickness, with optional rounded corners - the preview updates live as you adjust the width, color and corner radius, and the result downloads as a PNG.
Adds a solid-color border of adjustable thickness around an image.
Optionally rounds the corners of both the outer frame and the photo inside it, correctly scaled down for the photo's own smaller radius so the two nest properly rather than the inner photo showing sharp corners inside a rounded frame.
Clamps the corner radius to at most half the shorter side of whichever shape it's rounding, so an aggressively high radius setting can't produce a broken or self-intersecting curve.
Enlarges the output canvas by the border width on every side rather than cropping into the source image, so no original pixels are lost when a border is added.
How to use it
- Choose an image.
- Adjust border width, color and corner radius.
- Download the result.
Why use this tool
A border sets an image apart on a page or in a print. Adding one with rounded corners avoids opening an editor.
Why we built it
We built the border and frame tool to nest the inner photo's rounded corners correctly inside the frame's. Round corners with the round image corners tool and crop first with the image cropper.
For a neighbouring job there is also the Meme Generator.
Who this tool is for
- Photographers framing prints and posts
- Sellers presenting products
- Social media users
When to use it
- Framing a photo for posts or prints.
- Adding a white border to a screenshot.
- Rounding corners.
- Matching a design.
Why the inner photo's corner radius is different from the frame's
The same radius on both layers would leave the photo's corners looking sharp inside a rounded frame, or vice versa.
When rounding corners on a framed photo, using the same corner radius for the outer frame and the inner photo looks visually wrong - the two curves don't nest evenly once the border's thickness is added. This tool reduces the inner photo's corner radius by the border width before clipping it, so the rounded photo corner sits naturally inside the rounded frame corner, with consistent visual thickness all the way around the curve.
Why the corner radius has a built-in ceiling
A rounded-rectangle curve stops making geometric sense once its radius exceeds half the shape's own width or height.
A rounded rectangle is drawn as four arcs joined by straight edges, and each arc's radius can be at most half the shorter side - past that point there's no straight edge left for the arc to meet, and the shape would fold in on itself. This tool automatically clamps whatever radius you choose down to that maximum for both the outer frame and the inner photo before drawing, so dragging the corner-radius slider all the way up simply produces the roundest valid shape (effectively a pill or circle on a square image) rather than a distorted or broken outline.
What you give it, and what you get back
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Input | An image. |
| Controls | Colour, thickness and corner radius. |
| Output | A framed PNG. |
Issues you may run into
| What you see | Why it happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Pattern frames are expected | Only solid borders are supported. | Use a design tool. |
| Corners look off | Radius is large against the border. | Reduce the radius. |
| File is large | PNG is lossless. | Convert to JPG. |
Assumptions and limitations
- This adds a single solid-color border only - patterned, gradient, or textured frames aren't supported.
- The result is exported as PNG, which is lossless but larger than a re-compressed JPEG for photographs.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add a border to an image online for free?
Upload your image, adjust the border width and color, and download the result - the preview updates live.
Can I round the corners?
Yes - the corner radius slider rounds both the frame's outer corners and the photo's inner corners, correctly nested together.
Can I use a patterned or gradient border?
Not currently - this adds a single solid color border only.
What format is the result saved as?
PNG, which is lossless - the framed pixels are preserved exactly, at the cost of a larger file than a re-compressed JPEG.
Is my photo uploaded anywhere?
No. Framing happens entirely in your browser - nothing is sent to a server.
What happens if I set the corner radius really high?
It's automatically clamped to at most half the shorter side of the frame or photo, so an extreme setting produces the roundest valid shape instead of a broken or self-intersecting curve.
Does the border crop into my photo or sit outside it?
It sits outside - the canvas is enlarged by the border width on every side, so the full original image is kept and the border is added around it, not over it.