How to Add Borders to an Image Using Microsoft Paint
Sometimes subtle changes to an image can make it look different. This is how adding a border to an image changes its appearance and separates it from the background. It helps when you plan to use this image on a website, business brochures, or social media. The idea is not to let the background of the image overlap with the actual background of a website or social network.
There are many ways to add borders to an image, from free online tools to mobile apps. Windows users can make the most of native tools like Microsoft Paint to add borders to an image.
Adding Borders to an Image Using Microsoft Paint
An often overlooked tool in image editing is Microsoft Paint. However, the tool offers free and easy to use features. And adding a border to an image is pretty straightforward. Here is how it works:
1. Use shapes for borders
This involves using the shapes in Microsoft Paint to draw borders around the image.
Step 1: Press Windows key + S to start Windows search, type To paint in it and press Enter to launch the app.
2nd step: Click on the File tab in the upper left corner.
Step 3: Select the Open menu.
Step 4: Browse the image you want to import and click the Open button.
Step 5: After importing the image, in the Shapes tab, select the Rectangle. Once you’ve selected the rectangle, your mouse pointer should change its appearance.
Step 6: To the right of the Shapes tab, click the Outline tab and select Solid Color.
Step 7: To the right of the Outline tab, click the Size tab to choose a preferred thickness for your rectangle.
Step 8: Place the mouse cursor at the top left of the imported image and draw a rectangle filling all the edges of the image and you should have a border.
2. Change the border color
Typically, when you click a shape in Microsoft Paint, the default outline color is black. However, if you prefer a different color, you should change the outline of the shape before you draw your border. You cannot change the border color after it has been drawn around the image and saved.
There are two ways to change the border color. You can use the default colors or create a separate color by following the steps below:
Option 1: Default colors
Microsoft Paint provides a palette containing different shades of primary colors. You can easily select any color for your border by doing the following:
Step 1: Repeat steps 1 through 3 under the heading titled Using Shapes for Borders.
2nd step: Under the Colors tab, there should be two tabs labeled Color 1 and Color 2. Color 1 represents the outline color of a shape, while color represents the color of the shape’s fill. In this case, select Color 1.
Step 3: Select your preferred color from the color palette and the fill in the Color 1 area should change.
Step 4: Draw your rectangle around the image and your border should be the color you selected.
Option 2: Use the color picker
If the default colors in the palette differ from the ones you prefer to use, you can create your color by doing the following:
Step 1: Repeat steps 1 to 2 highlighted in option 1 above.
2nd step: Click Change Colors located next to the color palette.
Step 3: In the Red, Green, and Blue fields, enter your color scheme numbers and select OK.
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Step 4: Draw your rectangle around the image and your border should be the color you selected.
3. Use an image as a border
If solid colors don’t work for your borders, you can also use images to provide texture or patterns to your borders. Here is how it works:
Step 1: Create a copy of the image to use as a border. This is to avoid ruining the original image.
2nd step: Paste it with a new name to make it identifiable as a copy.
Step 4: Lay out the Paint canvas to make sure it is large enough.
Step 5: Click the arrow under Paste and select Paste From.
Step 6: Select the image to paste and click Open.
Step 7: Once the image is imported into Paint, it should be surrounded by dotted lines. Place the mouse cursor over the dotted line at the edge to get a sizing arrow.
Step 8: Drag the image to cover the top of the Paint canvas. The size should be like what you have for a typical border.
Step 9: Repeat steps 5 through 8 again, but this time place the border of the image on the left, right, and bottom of the canvas, and you should have a full border.
Mosaic of an image
Besides adding borders to an image, you can use Microsoft Paint for other things. This includes the image mosaic to add effects to the images. The best way to experience the capabilities of the Paint application is to use it constantly.
Last updated on June 3, 2021
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