Choosing a frame width and color
Framers have a rule of thumb: the mat should be wide enough that the picture has room to breathe, and its color should never compete with the photo. On screen the same rules hold.
| Look | Width | Color | Works for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thin edge | 5–15 px | Black or white | Separating a photo from a busy page |
| Classic mat | 40–70 px | White or off-white | Portraits, landscapes, prints |
| Gallery mat | 80–100 px | White | Minimal, museum-style presentation |
| Dark frame | 30–60 px | Black or slate | Night shots, black-and-white, moody color |
| Accent frame | 10–30 px | Yellow or red | Event posts, announcements, fun prints |
How width scales with photo size
The frame width is in pixels, so the same setting looks different on different photos. 50 px on a 1080 px Instagram photo is a noticeable mat; 50 px on a 4000 px camera original is a thin line. If you plan to post the photo, resize it to its final size first, then add the frame. If you plan to print, frame the full-size original with a bigger width.
Photo frame vs image border: which tool to use
PicX has two tools for this. The photo frame maker is built for the mat look, with wide frames up to 100 px and soft framing colors like off-white and slate. The image border tool is better for thin, bright outlines from 1 to 50 px in pure colors like red, green and blue. Pick the frame maker for prints and portfolios, and the border tool for screenshots, diagrams and graphics.
Want something more decorative, like a polaroid or a scrapbook look? Combine tools: add text along the bottom with the add text to photo tool, then frame the result with a wide white mat here. For a set of framed photos, frame each one with the same width and color, then arrange them with the photo collage maker.
