Put a photo in a film border (35mm, 120, instant)
Open the border PNG, place your photo under it and scale the photo to fill the window. Pick the border that matches your crop.
A film border tells people the photo came off a real negative, a slide or an instant camera. With a transparent PNG border it takes a minute: the border goes on top, the photo goes underneath.
Step by step (Photoshop or free Photopea)
- Download a border, for example 35mm film border, black.
- Open the border PNG. Its size becomes your canvas.
- Place your photo (File → Place Embedded in Photoshop, File → Open & Place in Photopea).
- In the Layers panel, drag the photo layer below the border layer.
- Press Ctrl+T (Cmd+T on a Mac) and scale the photo until it fills the window. Hold Shift if your version needs it to keep proportions.
- Export with File → Export → Export As (Photopea: File → Export as → JPG).
Pick the border by the crop
| Your crop | Border |
|---|---|
| 3:2 (most cameras) | 35mm black, 35mm colour negative, filed carrier |
| 1:1 (square) | 120 film 6x6, instant square |
| 5:4 (portrait, Instagram) | 120 film 6x7 |
| Print look | darkroom print, deckle edge |
Make it believable
- Add grain to the photo, not the border. Put a grain plate between the photo and the border.
- Match the film. An orange colour negative border looks odd around a black and white photo. Use the black or clear base border for mono work.
- Rotate a little. For instant frames, a 1–3° tilt and a soft shadow make it look like a real print on a table.