Mac Border Tool – add border to images

Frames instantly make images look more refined: on the wall, as canvas prints and online. In every good exhibition, the photos are framed – and in the digital world it’s no different.

In Capture One Pro there’s a small but important problem: exporting images with a white border is not supported. There is no built-in function that automatically adds a border to your photos during export. If you still want borders, you have to use other programs and create every frame manually.

Maybe you’ve already searched Google hoping to find a hidden setting for a white border in Capture One. The truth: you won’t find anything, because this feature simply doesn’t exist. Still, wall art, canvas prints and online galleries look instantly more elegant with a clean frame – and that’s exactly where the Border Tool comes in.

That’s why I developed the Border Tool for macOS and Capture One Pro. It lets you add a frame directly on export – without any extra software and without manual post-processing.

You simply choose whether the border should be white or black and set the width from 1 to 600 pixels. Your image is never cropped; the canvas is extended by the border. You can create export recipes for different frame types and generate multiple versions with a single click – perfect for series, galleries, or print files.

Additionally, you can use the Border Tool directly from macOS: just drag and drop existing photos onto the tool in Finder and export them with a border. That makes adding a frame a matter of just a few seconds.

Add Borders via Drag & Drop in macOS Finder

Use the Border Tool directly in Finder to add a frame to existing images in just a few seconds. Select your photos, drag them onto the tool – and you’ll get a version back with a clean, consistent border.

In the demo you can see how you can apply a consistent border to existing photos via drag and drop – without extra dialogs or manual adjustments.

All examples here were created with the Border Tool – some with a fine border, some with a very wide frame. You can clearly see how much a simple border can change the overall look of an image.

For this tool you need to install ImageMagick – a 100% free utility. A simple installation guide is provided after purchase.

Installation is done in Terminal with two commands. You just copy the commands from the guide, paste them into Terminal and run them. After that, the Border Tool is ready to go.

It’s simple: images just look better with a frame. That was true for classical paintings and it’s still true today. A good frame supports the impact of the image without drawing attention away from the subject.

That’s why many photo editing programs offer a way to add borders. Capture One Pro doesn’t – and the Border Tool closes this gap.

I love landscape photography – and that’s exactly why I developed this framing tool for Capture One Pro. I want my photos to be not only technically clean, but emotionally strong as well. A fitting frame is a small detail with a big effect.

I’ve been teaching photography for many years, showing photographers how to make the most of their cameras and their Capture One workflow. When I’m not running workshops, I prefer to be out shooting – in places like Iceland, the USA, India, Thailand, Vietnam or Cambodia.

Great tool and excellent support! My question was answered immediately and my “problem” was solved. Thanks again! Until now, I could only create a white border via a detour through Lightroom, now I can do it straight from Capture One – that saves a lot of time and effort.

Nils
Verified buyer
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

There’s nothing to add to the previous comment – the idea is brilliant and works flawlessly. Maybe one little note for macOS users in the manual: on the first launch GateKeeper complains and you have to allow the app once in the system settings. Beyond that, you can also use this tool with Lightroom Classic by selecting these apps under “Post-Processing” in the export dialog.

Stephan
Verified buyer
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐