# Frames

> Wrap your photo in a border that fits its mood and your destination — content-aware colors, story and social-card ratios, and consistent insets across a set.

Source: https://darkroom.co/help/edit/frames
Section: Edit
Updated: 2026-06-10

Frames started as a way to post a non-square photo to Instagram without an awkward crop, and the humble white border never went away. Darkroom's Frame tool takes that instinct and turns it into real creative expression: a frame controls the *context* your photo is viewed in, letting you extend its natural edges, make its key colors pop, or simply fit it cleanly to whatever platform it's headed for. You'll find **Frames** in the Edit view toolbar; toggle it on and off to compare instantly.

![Content-aware frame color palette in Darkroom](https://darkroom.co/assets/images/posts/2018-frames-smart.png)

*Content-aware colors analyze your photo and offer a curated palette that matches its mood — alongside classic white and black.*

## Color sets the mood

The color of a frame has an outsized effect on how the eye reads the colors *inside* it. Beyond white and black, Darkroom analyzes your photo and suggests **content-aware colors** — a curated palette drawn from the image itself, one tap away. Pick a hue that extends the natural edges of the scene for a seamless look, or one that picks up a key color to make it sing. White borders brighten and add air; black borders tend to deepen perceived contrast.

## Inset and ratio for every destination

Just as important as color is size. The **inset** sets how much breathing room surrounds the image, and the ratio presets target where it's going: **9:16** for Snapchat and Instagram Stories, **4:5** for Instagram portrait, **2:1** for a social-post card, or square for the classic feed. Smaller insets feel modern and minimal; larger ones feel editorial and print-inspired.

![A photo framed in a 9:16 ratio for stories](https://darkroom.co/assets/images/posts/2018-frames-cloud.png)

*Insetting into a 9:16 frame turns any photo into a polished story or social card.*

The inset slider remembers your last value, which is the secret to a cohesive set — apply the same border across a whole batch and your exports stay visually consistent. Frames are included on export, and the inset presets are available right from the export flow, even in batch.

## Where it sits in your workflow

Frames are applied *after* the crop in the render pipeline, so finalize your composition in [Transform](/help/edit/crop-rotate-transform) first, then add the frame as a finishing layer. If you want a repeatable presentation style, pair a frame and ratio with a [preset](/help/edit/presets) so every export in a series matches.

## Related

- [Content-Aware Frames](/blog/2018-06-frames) — the thinking and technology behind the tool
- [Crop, Rotate, and Transform](/help/edit/crop-rotate-transform) — finalize composition before framing
- [Export Settings](/help/export/export-settings) — frame and inset options at export time