PRO TIP

Add artful borders to your photos

VSCO can help you step up your border game. Here’s how.

VSCO: Photo & Video Editor

Edit with AI Filters & Effects

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VSCO is packed with ways to make your photos shine, but few are easier than adding a bold border.

The whole process takes around six seconds, start to finish: after you’ve opened a photo in VSCO, tap the edit icon at the bottom and tap the same icon that appears on the following screen. Swipe through the various parameters (Exposure, Contrast, etc.) until you see Borders. Then you can experiment with colour and thickness

Primary pick
Not sure what colour to use for your border? Try picking one close to the dominant hue in your photo – then go thick with the frame (we’re talking in the +4 to +6 range).

Pay a complement
Or try the opposite: pick a border colour that complements your photo’s palette. Don’t worry if you don’t know what hue that might be. Just tap through all the options (there are fewer than 20) – you’ll know what’s right when you see it.

Through thick and thin
Varying the thickness of the border can have a surprisingly stark effect. Keep borders thin for a professional, printed look, or experiment with thick borders for something more powerful.

Double up
Want to add a two-tone border? Try this trick: add a thick border, save the photo, then import it back into the VSCO studio to add a thinner second one. Little work, lotta pop.