How to Round Corners in Photoshop 2026

Download the PDF: How to Round Corners in Photoshop

In this tutorial, I'll show you the best way to add rounded corners to your photo in Photoshop. We'll also look at how to add a custom border to the photo, and most importantly, how to save your final image so the corners remain transparent.

Here's an example of what the final effect will look like. I placed the photo on a black background to make the corners easier to see, but your final result will have completely transparent corners so you can place it on any background you like.

Which Photoshop version do I need?

I’m using Photoshop 2026. You can get the latest Photoshop version here.

The document setup

You can follow along with any image of your own. I’ll use this photo from Adobe Stock.

Let's get started!

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Step 1: Unlock the Background layer

With your image open in Photoshop, go to the Layers panel. Your image will be sitting on the Background layer.

Click the lock icon to unlock it. Photoshop renames the layer to Layer 0 and the lock icon disappears.

Step 2: Select the Rectangle Tool

Select the Rectangle Tool from the toolbar.

If another shape tool is currently visible in that spot, click and hold its icon to reveal the hidden tools and choose the Rectangle Tool from the list.

Step 3: Set the shape options

In the Options Bar, click the Stroke color swatch.

Click the None option (the white box with the red diagonal line) to turn the stroke off.

Press Enter (Win) / Return (Mac) to close the color options.

Next to the stroke options, check the Fill color swatch. Any fill color will work, so leave it set to black (the default).

Also in the Options Bar is the Corner Radius setting. Leave it at 0 px for now; we will round the corners after drawing the shape.

Step 4: Draw a rectangle shape

Click and drag inside your document to draw the shape. Don't worry about its exact size or location just yet.

In the Layers panel, the shape appears on a new shape layer directly above your image.

Step 5: Center and resize the shape

Before resizing the shape, let's perfectly center it. Click the Path Alignment icon in the Options Bar.

Change the Align To option to Canvas.

Click the Align Horizontal Centers and Align Vertical Centers icons.

Then click anywhere outside the box to close the box.

With the shape centered, hold the Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) key and drag any of the transform handles to resize the shape from its center. Adjust the shape to fit your subject.

Step 6: Round the corners of the shape

Notice the small circle in each corner of the shape. These are the Corner Radius controls.

To round the corners, click and drag any of the circles inward.

By default, all four corners round together.

Rounding corners from the Properties panel

Alternatively, you can enter exact radius values using the Properties panel.

Scroll down to find the Corner Radius options.

To set the radius for all four corners at once, make sure the link icon is selected.

Enter a value into any of the boxes (I'll enter 800 px).

Press Enter (Win) / Return (Mac) to apply the value to all four corners.

How to round a corner separately from the others

You can also round corners individually. The fastest way is to hold the Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) key and drag the circle for the specific corner you want to adjust.

For example, I'll hold Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) and drag the top right circle back into the corner.

Now the shape has one sharp corner and three rounded corners.

You can also adjust individual corners in the Properties panel. First, click the link icon to deselect it.

Enter a specific radius value for any corner.

For example, to make the bottom left corner sharp, enter 0 px and press Enter (Win) / Return (Mac).

The shape now has two rounded corners and two sharp corners.

Note: If you drag a corner control now without holding the Alt/Option key, the corners will adjust together but will maintain their different radius proportions.

Resetting the corners

To reset the shape, drag each circle outward so all four corners are completely sharp again.

Then, drag one of the circles without holding any keys to round all four corners equally (which is usually what you want).

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Step 7: Create a clipping mask

Now, place the photo inside the rounded shape using a clipping mask.

In the Layers panel, click and drag the image layer above the shape layer.

With the image layer selected, click the Layers panel menu icon.

Choose Create Clipping Mask.

The photo is now clipped to the boundaries of the shape below it, creating the illusion that the photo itself has rounded corners.

Everything outside the shape is now transparent (indicated by the checkerboard pattern).

Step 8: Make final adjustments to the corners

You can easily adjust the corners even after clipping the image. Click the shape layer in the Layers panel to select it.

As long as the Rectangle Tool (or any shape tool) is active in the toolbar, the Corner Radius controls will reappear on the canvas.

Drag the circles to tweak the roundness until you're happy with the result.

To hide the shape controls so you can see the result clearly, select the image layer.

Select the shape layer again whenever you need to bring the controls back.

Step 9: Trim away the transparent areas

Next, let’s remove the extra transparent space surrounding the image.

Go to Image > Trim.

In the Trim dialog box, choose Transparent Pixels at the top.

Make sure Top, Bottom, Left, and Right are all checked at the bottom. Click OK.

Photoshop trims away all the excess space, leaving only the transparent corners intact.

Step 10: Add a border around the photo (optional)

To add a border around your image, select the shape layer in the Layers panel.

Click the layer effects (fx) icon at the bottom of the panel.

Choose Stroke from the list.

In the Layer Style dialog box, click the color swatch to change the stroke's color.

Choose a new color from the Color Picker.

To use white, set the R, G, and B values to 255. Click OK to close the Color Picker.

Back in the Layer Style dialog box, set the Position to Inside.

Adjust the border thickness using the Size slider (the ideal size will depend on your image's resolution).

Click OK when you're done.

Here's the result with the new border.

Step 11: Save the image

To preserve the rounded transparent corners, save the image in a format that supports transparency.

JPEG won't work; you need to save it as a PNG.

Go to File > Save a Copy.

Navigate to where you want to save the file.

Change the file type to PNG. Name your file (e.g., rounded-corners) and click Save.

In the PNG Format Options dialog box, select the Smallest file size option and click OK.

And there we have it! That's how to round the corners of your image with Photoshop.

Don't forget, all of my Photoshop tutorials are available to download as PDFs!

Related tutorials:

• How to draw custom shapes in Photoshop
• How to crop an image in a circle shape
• How to fill a shape with a photo