Make Photos Look Like Polaroids Without a Camera

What is the Size of a Polaroid Photo?

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Knowing the size of your photo is important when you want to make pictures look like Polaroids. The size of a Polaroid depends on what part of the photo you are referring to as there is both an “inner” portion being the photo itself as well as the “outer” portion which is the border polaroid effect.

There are also all kinds of shapes and sizes of Polaroid, so let’s cover the 3 most popular! Keep in mind that PhotoCut can create a Polaroid picture effect using any photo of any size!

The Inside Photo

The inner photo area of Polaroid 600 film is 3.0625 x 3.125 inches. Notice how the photo area is slightly taller than it is long.

If you are using an Instax film to create a Polaroid frame effect, it is 61 ×61 millimeters for the “square” size and 61 × 46 millimeters for the “mini” size.

The Outside Frame

The outside frame of a Polaroid is the white border surrounding the photo. The size of a full Polaroid effect, including the frame of standard Polaroid 600 film, is 3.4 x 4.2 inches.

An Instax Polaroid photo is 46 × 62 millimeters for the Mini and 62 × 62 millimeters for the Square.

How to Make Photos Look Like Polaroids Online?

Next, let’s look at how to edit a photo to look like a Polaroid online using PhotoCut’s photo effects in just a few simple steps! You can also use one of our pre-made vintage Polaroid templates to get the job done in no time.

How to Add Your Photo?

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First, create a polaroid picture effect by adding your photo into PhotoCut. You can do this by either dragging and dropping your photo directly into PhotoCut or by going to Open and choosing where your file is located.

How to Adjust the Photo?

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Now that our file is uploaded, let’s adjust our photo slightly by going to Crop and choosing Square. Square photos work with the Polaroid camera effect well, however, you can choose any side you’d prefer.

Next, follow the crop with some photo brightening by going to Fine Tune and increasing both the Exposure to 14 and the Highlights to 100.

How to Choose a Frame?

There are dozens of different Polaroid frames to choose from, so let’s take a look at just a couple.

Simple Frames

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Let’s do a simple traditional Polaroid frame by going to Frames and then Polaroid. This will give you the classic Polaroid border and caption area.

Let’s set our settings to Outer Size 100 and Caption Size 200. Changing the color of the Outer Color to a light gray so the frame still stands out when placed on white backgrounds.

However, if you won’t be placing it on a white background, then a white frame is an even better option here if you want a classic Polaroid effect!

Vintage Frames

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Let’s look at how to create an old Polaroid effect. You can create a vintage polaroid filter effect using the same steps as above except this time go into the Vintage category of borders.

Choose your border and hit Apply to save your old Polaroid effect frame. As always there are tons to choose from, including vintage, retro, and “90’s” style borders!

How to Add Stickers to a Polaroid Effect Online?

Now, that you are done with your polaroid filter effect it’s time for the fun part that’s filling it up with stickers and patterns! The best part of a Polaroid is all the free space to add your special touches.

You can find hundreds of stickers and illustrations all ready to use in the Sticker tab!

Tapes & Stickers

The perfect way to add some charm to your Polaroid effect is by adding strips of tape and other small drawings!

Go to the Search Bar in the Sticker tab and search Tape for dozens of choices to choose from.

Place them around your photo, changing their Color by clicking the sticker and looking to the top left-hand side of the screen.

Patterns & Backgrounds

Want to add more texture to your images? Then try adding in some textures! Textures work just like stickers and are the easiest way to get that vintage Polaroid filter online.

Use the Move Tool to stretch them over the whole polaroid, including the outside border. This will give your photo an instant retro polaroid filter effect that you can move around and adjust easily.

Try to combine stickers, textures, and patterns to create images that really capture that authentic scrapbooking feel.

How to Add Text & Emojis to a Polaroid Photo Effect?

Adding text and emojis to Polorids is a great way to add small fun details! You can add them to a Polaroid effect you have created in PhotoCut or even upload a Polaroid you have already taken yourself.

Emojis

Let’s upload our Polaroid to PhotoCut. Now, go to Stickers, search “Emojis”, choose your favorite ones, and then place them around your Polaroid!

You can adjust their opacity by going to the top-left corner of PhotoCut and adjusting the slider. Doing so will help your stickers and emojis blend better giving you a more authentic look.

Text

Let’s add some text to our Polaroid effect. One of Polaroid film’s main appeals is the ability to add labels and descriptions right to the front of the photo thanks to all of its white space.

First, go the to Text tab on the left-hand side of the screen.

Next, choose Header and place it anywhere on your photo. Go and type your text!

Finally, change the text’s color and font face.

How to Create a Collage with Polaroid Photos?

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If you want to show off your Polaroid photos in a cool way, making a collage is the perfect idea! And guess what? You don't need fancy software like Photoshop to do it!

• First, make sure you have all your Polaroid photos ready. You can crop them into squares if you want, but it's not necessary. Save them all in a folder where you can easily find them!

• Next, head over to PhotoCut and choose the Design option. Pick a canvas size that fits your needs. Then, choose a background color that complements your Polaroids!

• Now, it's time to arrange your Polaroids on the canvas. You can also add fun stickers and doodles from the Sticker tab to make your collage even more unique!

Conclusion

And there you have it! Now you know how to make your photos look like Polaroids without needing an actual Polaroid camera. With PhotoCut, you can get creative with stickers, drawings, and filters to make your photos truly unique. Whether you want a vintage look or a modern vibe, the possibilities are endless!

FAQs

Q1. What is a Polaroid?

Ans. A Polaroid photo is a picture taken with a special camera that prints out the photo instantly after you take it. It's like magic!

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Q2. How do you frame a Polaroid?

Ans. Framing Polaroids is easy because they already have a border! You can use clothespins and string to hang them up, or put them in a traditional frame to make them stand out.

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Q3. How do you get the old Polaroid effect?

Ans. If you want to give your photos a vintage look, you can choose a vintage-inspired border from the Borders tab on PhotoCut.

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Q4. What can you do with Polaroid pictures?

Ans. There are so many fun things you can do with your Polaroid photos! You can make a photo garland frame, create a fairy light garland, or use them in a scrapbook with doodles and quotes!

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