Mat any photo. Caption optional.
Eight paper colors, four border styles, optional caption underneath. Drop-shadow toggle for that framed-on-the-wall feel. The photo stays full-resolution; the mat is added around it. Nothing uploads. For real frames, grab a proper printer.
Cutting the mat board…
Cutting the mat board…
Six places a frame turns a photo into a piece
- 01 for prints
A matted print ready for an Ikea Ribba
Standard frame matting costs $8 a pop. Generate the matting digitally — paper-cream mat, drop shadow, no caption — and the photo prints with the mat already in. Slap into a 4×6 Ribba; it looks like you went to the framer.
- 02 for journals
A kraft-mat photo glued onto a scrapbook page
Kraft mat with a thin black border around a B&W portrait reads as 'edited spread' instead of 'photo dump'. Add a Caveat caption underneath and you've got a finished scrapbook element to glue onto a journal page.
- 03 for editorial
A magazine-style cream mat with a serif caption
Editorial layouts use generous mats and small captions. Cream mat at 18%, no border, Instrument Serif caption with the photographer's name. The single image suddenly reads as a magazine spread, not an Instagram post.
- 04 for prints to mail
A bordered photo to send with a thank-you note
Mailing a thank-you with a printed photo? A 12% paper mat plus a thin double border plus a handwritten caption ('Hawaii, March') turns a snapshot into a piece. Costs the same to print, lands very differently.
- 05 for ig
A square mat that fits IG without cropping
Vertical or horizontal phone photos crop badly to IG square. Run them through this with a wide mat and the photo plus mat reads square — IG no longer crops the subject. Slow scroll, pause-worthy, every face stays in frame.
- 06 for gallery
A consistent mat across a wall of prints
Wall arrangements only work when the photos share a frame language. Same mat color, same width, same caption font across all photos. Print at the same size, hang as a grid. Reads as a curated wall, not a sentimental dumping ground.
Frequently asked
Does the photo upload anywhere? +
No. The mat composites on a canvas in your browser. Your photo never touches our servers — we don't run an image pipeline at all.
How wide should the mat be? +
Editorial print convention is 8-12% of the photo's longest side for portrait/gallery work; up to 25% for that 'lots of breathing room' magazine feel. For scrapbook elements where the photo is dominant, 5-8% reads as 'border', not 'mat'.
Why does the output dimension change with mat width? +
We add the mat to the source dimensions rather than cropping into the photo. So a 4000×3000 photo with a 10% mat becomes ~4400×3400 — the photo stays full-resolution, the mat is added around it. Pure addition, no quality loss.
What's the drop shadow do? +
Adds a subtle shadow under the photo's edges, suggesting the photo sits *on top of* the mat (slightly raised). It mimics how a real matted print looks under museum lighting. Turn off for a flat editorial feel.
Can I add captions to the side or top? +
Not in v1 — caption goes underneath the photo. For top or side captions, run the result through Add Text to Photo afterward — drop a caption layer wherever you need it.
How do I match a real mat color? +
Real mat boards are typically off-white, cream, or a few neutral tones (paper, kraft, ink, navy). The eight presets here cover the common ones. For an exact match to a real board, sample its color with the Color Palette tool from a photo of the board, then paste the hex into Custom.
now what?
A few moves after the mat
next →
Add Text to Photo
Add a handwritten caption beneath the mat.
Opennext →
Drop Shadow
Float the matted piece over paper for a portfolio.
Opennext →
Pinterest Pin Maker
Reframe the matted print as a Pinterest pin.
Opennext →
Polaroid Maker
Try the same photo as a Polaroid instead.
Opennext →
Film Grain
Age the photo before matting.
Opennext →
Social Banner
Crop wide for a banner with the matted feel.
OpenOther free tools nearby
Background Remover
Cut the background out of any photo in one click.
OpenBackground Replace
Drop your subject onto paper, gradient, or your own backdrop photo.
OpenText Behind Subject
Drop a word behind your subject, magazine-cover style.
OpenPhoto Filters
Nine presets, one photo — vintage to cinematic.
OpenFilm Grain
Tri-X, Kodak Gold, Lomo — pick a roll, see the grain.
OpenHalftone Effect
Comic dots, risograph red, punk-zine textures.
OpenPencil Sketch
Photo to graphite drawing in two clicks.
OpenDuotone Effect
Map photo to two colors — Spotify, sunset, riso.
OpenTilt-Shift Effect
Make real cities look like tabletop dioramas.
OpenLight Leak
Sunset, lomo red, golden hour — bleed light into corners.
OpenRGB Glitch
VHS bands, anaglyph 3D, CRT scanlines, chromatic aberration.
OpenASCII Art
Convert any photo to typed characters.
OpenPhoto Negative
Pure invert, cyanotype, blueprint, X-ray, darkroom, sepia negative.
OpenPhoto Mosaic
Photo as tiles with grout-color gaps.
OpenAdjust
Brightness, contrast, saturation, hue, blur — seven sliders.
OpenPolaroid Maker
Any photo, wrapped in paper with a handwritten caption.
OpenPhoto Strip Maker
Four photos, B&W mode, handwritten caption.
OpenDiptych Maker
Two photos, side-by-side or stacked.
OpenShape Crop
Circle, heart, star, arch — pick a cookie cutter.
OpenVintage Postcard
Greetings caption, faux stamp, postmark, paper texture.
OpenDrop Shadow
Float a photo over paper for portfolios and mockups.
OpenPinterest Pin Maker
Drop a photo, type a title, pick a layout. 1000×1500 native.
OpenSocial Banner
X, LinkedIn, or YouTube cover with title overlay.
OpenAdd Text to Photo
Handwritten captions, magazine headers, or a quick scribble.
OpenWashi Tape Overlay
Stick paper-mood tape onto any photo.
OpenVintage Date Stamp
LED red, Kodak yellow, camcorder amber.
OpenPhoto Watermark
Corner sign-off or full diagonal tile.
OpenSticker Overlay
Hearts, stars, flowers, smileys, paper tags, HELLO labels.
OpenCrop & Resize
Square for IG, 9:16 for stories, 2:3 for Pinterest.
OpenFlip & Rotate
Mirror a selfie, un-tilt a scan, turn a sideways shot upright.
OpenHEIC to JPG / PNG
iPhone photos that open on everything.
OpenBlur & Pixelate
Hide faces, plates, addresses — drag a patch over the spot.
OpenEXIF Stripper
Remove GPS, camera info, timestamps before posting.
OpenImage Compressor
Smaller JPG, WebP, or PNG — same look, less file.
OpenColor Palette
Pull 5 hex codes out of any photo.
OpenQR Code Generator
Print-ready QR for menus, invites, journals, vCards.
OpenColor Replace
Eyedropper a color in your photo, swap it for another.
OpenPrint and frame the proper way.
Digital mats are the rehearsal. For wall display, print on archival paper, frame in glass, mount with a real mat board. Costs more, lasts longer, looks like a piece.