tool · beta · on-device
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…
where a mat earns its keep
for prints
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.
for journals
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.
for editorial
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.
for prints to mail
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.
for ig
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.
for gallery
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.
in case you're wondering
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.
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'.
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.
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.
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.
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?
next →
Add a handwritten caption beneath the mat.
Opennext →
Float the matted piece over paper for a portfolio.
Opennext →
Reframe the matted print as a Pinterest pin.
Opennext →
Try the same photo as a Polaroid instead.
Opennext →
Age the photo before matting.
Opennext →
Crop wide for a banner with the matted feel.
OpenCut the background out of any photo in one click.
OpenDrop your subject onto paper, gradient, or your own backdrop photo.
OpenDrop a word behind your subject, magazine-cover style.
OpenNine presets, one photo — vintage to cinematic.
OpenTri-X, Kodak Gold, Lomo — pick a roll, see the grain.
OpenComic dots, risograph red, punk-zine textures.
OpenPhoto to graphite drawing in two clicks.
OpenMap photo to two colors — Spotify, sunset, riso.
OpenMake real cities look like tabletop dioramas.
OpenSunset, lomo red, golden hour — bleed light into corners.
OpenVHS bands, anaglyph 3D, CRT scanlines, chromatic aberration.
OpenConvert any photo to typed characters.
OpenPure invert, cyanotype, blueprint, X-ray, darkroom, sepia negative.
OpenPhoto as tiles with grout-color gaps.
OpenBrightness, contrast, saturation, hue, blur — seven sliders.
OpenAny photo, wrapped in paper with a handwritten caption.
OpenFour photos, B&W mode, handwritten caption.
OpenTwo photos, side-by-side or stacked.
OpenCircle, heart, star, arch — pick a cookie cutter.
OpenGreetings caption, faux stamp, postmark, paper texture.
OpenFloat a photo over paper for portfolios and mockups.
OpenDrop a photo, type a title, pick a layout. 1000×1500 native.
OpenX, LinkedIn, or YouTube cover with title overlay.
OpenHandwritten captions, magazine headers, or a quick scribble.
OpenStick paper-mood tape onto any photo.
OpenLED red, Kodak yellow, camcorder amber.
OpenCorner sign-off or full diagonal tile.
OpenHearts, stars, flowers, smileys, paper tags, HELLO labels.
OpenSquare for IG, 9:16 for stories, 2:3 for Pinterest.
OpenMirror a selfie, un-tilt a scan, turn a sideways shot upright.
OpeniPhone photos that open on everything.
OpenHide faces, plates, addresses — drag a patch over the spot.
OpenRemove GPS, camera info, timestamps before posting.
OpenSmaller JPG, WebP, or PNG — same look, less file.
OpenPull 5 hex codes out of any photo.
OpenPrint-ready QR for menus, invites, journals, vCards.
OpenEyedropper a color in your photo, swap it for another.
OpenFor a real frame →
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.