Add a border to an image

How wide the border is

Canvas size works in pixels, so you decide the border exactly. On a 4000 × 3000 photo, a 150-pixel border means a canvas of 4300 × 3300: 150 on each side. With the picture kept in the middle, the border is the same on all four sides.

A good width depends on the picture's size, so think of it as a share of the shorter side:

• About 1 to 2%: a thin keyline, like the edge of a mat.
• About 3 to 6%: a classic print border.
• 8 to 15%: a wide gallery mat that gives the photo room to breathe.

The same number of pixels looks thinner on a big photo than on a small one. For a set that matches, give the photos the same size first with Image › Image size…, then the same border. Changed your mind? Ctrl Z takes the canvas back, or set Canvas size to the old numbers: nothing of the photo was cut.

Choosing a color

The fill layer's color well takes any color, with its code, and keeps the colors you used recently. To use a color from the photo, press I for the Eyedropper and click it before you add the fill layer: it becomes the foreground color, which the new fill takes.

• White is the gallery classic and looks clean on a dark page or in a busy feed.
• Near-black makes colors look richer and suits dramatic and black and white photos.
• Off-white feels like photo paper, softer than pure white.
• A color from the photo ties the frame to the picture; see pick a color from an image.

When in doubt, pick a color that is darker or lighter than the photo's edges, so the line between picture and border stays clear. Strong colors work best as thin lines; as a wide border they can outshine the photo inside. For a soft fade, Layer › New fill layer › New gradient layer runs from the foreground to the background color.

When a border helps

• Screenshots in documents. A screenshot with a white background disappears on a white page. A thin near-black or blue border shows where it ends.
• Prints going into a frame. A white border leaves room for the frame's lip, so it does not cover the edge of the picture.
• Product photos on white. A thin keyline separates a pale product from a pale page.
• A set of pictures. The same border on each makes a series look planned on a website or in a slide deck.

For a ring around a round picture, or a line that follows a cut-out shape, use the Outline effect instead, as the circle crop page shows.

Deeper at the bottom, and other frames

An instant-photo frame is wider at the bottom. Run Canvas size twice: first with the picture in the middle for an even border, then again with Picture stays at set to the top center and more height. All of the extra height goes to the bottom.

A border changes the picture's shape a little: 4000 × 3000 is 4:3, while 4300 × 3300 is not quite. When a site needs an exact size, such as 1080 × 1350 for a portrait post, size the photo first and type the final numbers in Canvas size, so the border takes up the difference.

More looks: tick Shadow under Effects for the photo layer and it seems to sit on the colored card, or place a picture of paper or wood with File › Place a picture… and send it to the back instead of a plain color. Text on the border, such as a date along the bottom, goes on with the Text tool.