Tools
Square matte generator
Square matte generator for uncropped photos
Put portrait or landscape photos on a square background so you can post them uncropped.
Drop an image here
or click to select, or paste
About this tool
Upload a very wide or very tall photo to Instagram and the app forces you to crop it, losing part of the composition. The fix is to place the whole image on a canvas at the ratio the platform expects, framed by a solid colour or by a blurred copy of the photo itself. Plenty of photographers, illustrators and brands do this to keep a consistent grid without sacrificing their framing.
Drop or paste the photo and pick a “Style”: Blurred uses an enlarged, softened copy of the image, Solid uses a colour you choose from the swatches or the picker, and Gradient starts from the photo’s average colour. Under “Aspect ratio” pick 1:1, 4:5, 3:4, 9:16 or “Custom”; the “Swap” button flips between portrait and landscape. Set the “Output width” (1080, 1200, 1440, 2048 px or your own) and the “Padding”, then download.
The image is composed in your browser and never uploaded. The result downloads as a PNG at the width you chose, with the height set by the ratio; the photo is never cropped, only scaled to fit inside the padding. The blurred background may look slightly different in the preview and the final file because it is rendered at a different scale. It processes one image at a time.
Frequently asked questions
How do I post a landscape photo on Instagram without cropping it?
Place it on a 1:1 or 4:5 matte with this tool: the whole photo stays visible and the leftover space is filled with colour or a blur of the image. Then upload it as a normal post.
Which background looks best: white, black or blurred?
White or black gives your profile a clean, consistent look, ideal for a series. A blurred background blends the photo in by echoing its colours, and a gradient is a softer middle ground.
What width should I choose for Instagram?
1080 px is the width Instagram displays posts at, so it is the safest choice. If you want headroom for sharper screens or other platforms, 1440 px works well too.
Can I use it for Stories or custom sizes?
Yes. Choose 9:16 for Stories and Reels, or press “Custom” and enter any ratio from 1 to 32 on each side, such as 2:3 for a poster or 16:9 for a thumbnail.