Polaroid photo maker
Choose a photo, optionally crop it to a square, type a caption for the wide strip at the bottom, and adjust the paper colour, tilt and shadow. The picture is composed on a canvas in your browser and saved at full size.
Runs in your browser: nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
How to use it
- Choose a photo.
- Type a Caption, or leave it empty.
- Keep Crop to a square for the classic look or switch it off to keep the photo’s proportions.
- Adjust the Paper colour, Tilt (up to 15 degrees either way) and Shadow, then download PNG or JPG.
How it works
The card is white (or your colour) with a margin of 6% of the photo’s shorter side and a 22% strip at the bottom. The photo, caption and shadow are drawn on a canvas, which is rotated by the tilt. The canvas is as large as the rotated card plus room for the shadow. A 1000 x 1000 photo gives a card of 1120 x 1280 pixels before tilt and shadow.
Worked example
A 4000 x 3000 photo cropped to a square becomes 3000 x 3000, scaled down to the size setting of 1000, so the photo is 1000 x 1000 and the card 1120 x 1280.
Tips
- Use a cream paper colour such as #fbf9f3 for a warmer look.
- A tilt of 2 to 4 degrees looks natural; more looks like a scattered pile of prints.
Frequently asked questions
How big is the frame?
The side and top margins are 6% of the photo's shorter side and the strip below the photo is 22%. These are proportions chosen to look like an instant print, not the exact dimensions of any film. A 1000 x 1000 photo gives a 1120 x 1280 card.
What does the size setting do?
It limits the longest side of the photo inside the frame. Photos are only scaled down, never up. The card around it is added to that size.
Why are the corners transparent?
When the card is tilted or has a shadow, the area around it is transparent in PNG. JPG cannot store transparency, so it becomes white.
Which font is the caption?
A handwriting-style font that your device already has, such as Segoe Print or Bradley Hand, otherwise your browser's cursive font. Long captions are shrunk to fit the width.