Put a frame over a photo

A frame is not something you drag into a corner: it goes round the whole photo. So the shelf opens first on the frame family, and each frame lands covering the frame edge to edge on Normal, with a see-through window where your photo shows.

Frames are drawn, not downloaded — a rectangle with a window cut out of it, at whatever size the photo is. A 6000-pixel photo gets a 6000-pixel frame with sharp edges, not a small picture stretched.

1. 1Open the photo. It stays in this tab.
2. 2Pick a frame. Instant film, film strip, rounded window, simple border or double border. It lands covering the photo.
3. 3Set its colour and width. Frame colour, the second colour for holes or the inner line, and the border's width are on the Blend tab.
4. 4Or use your own. Add a PNG frame with a transparent window; size it to cover the photo with the handles or the Place tab fields.
5. 5Save. At full size. The frame is drawn again at the saved size.

Frames

Instant film, film strip, rounded window, simple border, double border.

Controls

Frame colour; holes or inner-line colour; width.

Placement

Covers the frame, Normal, 100%.

Own frames

Any PNG or SVG; it behaves like any other layer.

Saving

PNG, JPG or WebP.

• A frame covers the edge of the photo rather than adding canvas around it — the saved file stays the photo's own size.
• Your own PNG frame is not fitted automatically: size it with the handles or the fields.
• The film strip's holes are a drawing, not see-through.

Which mode does a frame open on, and why?

Normal at 100%, because a frame should look exactly like itself — any other mode would mix the border with the photo underneath it.

Is the frame a downloaded image?

No. Every frame is drawn by code at the photo's size: a filled rectangle with a window cut out of it.

Will it look the same at full size?

Yes. The frame is drawn again for the saved file at the photo's full size, so its edges are as sharp as the photo.

How do I put a plain border on a photo?

Pick Simple border, set its colour and width on the Blend tab, and save. Width runs from a hairline to a thick mount.

• Add a texture overlayOpens the drawn-texture shelf first: light leaks and film grain, with hue, strength and blend beside the stage.
• Vintage overlayDust, scratches, film burn, paper, edge fade and sepia, each on the mode that adds only its own age.
• Place a PNG on a photoA transparent element starts centred at a restrained share of the frame, ready to size and position.
• Place something on a photoThe stage and a deck of layers: logos, stickers, textures or a second photo, each moved until it looks right.