Convert Image to Polaroid
Add an authentic polaroid frame to any photo - editable caption, tilt, drop shadow, custom colors. Free, offline, client-side.
Wrap any photo in an authentic polaroid frame - thin top/sides, thick caption margin at the bottom. Write your own caption (no forced watermark), pick a font and color, tilt it, add a drop shadow. Pure canvas, no upload.
How to Use Convert Image to Polaroid
- Drop or upload any image. Files stay in your browser; no upload happens. PNG/JPG/GIF/BMP/WebP all work.
- Type a caption in the field (or leave it blank for a clean polaroid). Captions auto-wrap to 2 lines and ellipsize if they overflow.
- Pick a caption font - Handwriting (the classic look), Typewriter (Courier mono), Marker (chunky), or Print (clean sans). Each uses a system-safe font stack so it renders consistently.
- Adjust dimensions - side padding (thin like a real polaroid) and caption area (thick bottom margin where the photo's name goes). Real polaroids are about 18 px sides and 90 px bottom on a typical web-sized image.
- Tilt it with the slider (-15° to +15°). 0° for a clean upright polaroid; ±5-10° for the "thrown on the desk" look. Drop shadow follows the tilt naturally.
- Pick frame and background colors - default is a slightly creamy off-white (#FFFFF5) that looks more like real polaroid stock than pure white. Black-frame polaroids are unconventional but striking; sepia frames look aged.
- Copy or download - Copy puts the PNG on your clipboard (paste into Slack/Discord). Download saves
polaroid.png. Stats show input and output dimensions plus render time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the tool add any branding or watermark?
No. The caption field is entirely yours – leave it blank for a clean polaroid, or write whatever you want. We don’t stamp any logo, watermark, or branding on the output. The result is yours to use however you like.
What’s the difference between side padding and caption area?
Real polaroids have thin equal margins on the top/left/right (about 5-8% of the image width) and a much thicker bottom margin (about 25-30%) where the photo’s caption would go. The “side padding” slider controls the thin sides; “caption area” controls the thick bottom margin.
Will the caption font actually render correctly?
The tool uses a system-safe font stack for each style. “Handwriting” tries Caveat → Patrick Hand → Bradley Hand → generic cursive. If your system has any of those, you get the handwritten look; otherwise it falls back to your system cursive. Output is rasterized to PNG so it’s pixel-identical on whoever views it.
How does the tilt work?
The polaroid rotates around its center by the chosen angle. The output canvas grows to fit the rotated frame including the drop shadow margin, so nothing gets cropped. Tilt 0° gives an upright polaroid; -15° / +15° gives the “tossed on the desk” look.
What’s the slight cream color of the default frame?
Pure white (#FFFFFF) looks too clinical next to a photo. Real polaroid film has a slightly creamy off-white tint, so we default to #FFFFF5 (a hair of yellow). Use the color picker to go pure white, off-white, sepia, black, or any color you like.
Is my photo uploaded anywhere?
No. FileReader, Canvas 2D, and toDataURL all run locally in your browser. Open DevTools → Network and watch zero requests fire after the page loads. Safe for personal photos, client work, or anything private.
Does it preserve EXIF metadata?
No – Canvas rendering strips EXIF (orientation, GPS, camera info). The output is a fresh PNG with no metadata. If you need to keep EXIF, embed it back manually post-export. The orientation is interpreted correctly during load (browser does that automatically).
Why does the drop shadow look soft?
We use Canvas’s shadowBlur: 22 with a 28% black tint and 8 px vertical offset, mimicking the soft natural shadow a polaroid casts when lying on paper. Toggle it off if you want a flat frame.
Will the caption fit any text I write?
Up to about 40-60 characters in two lines at the default font size, depending on character widths. Longer captions wrap automatically; if they still overflow, the last line gets an ellipsis (…). To fit more, drop the font size or widen the photo.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Total bundle is around 22 KB. Once loaded, disconnect and keep polaroiding. Works on planes, in basements, on air-gapped machines.