What border color for B&W web images ?

[QT Luong]

Let assume for a moment that the background color of the webpage is grey, so that you have both the option of a black or a white border around your images.

For color, I still like the a black border (a holdover from the first article I read about putting images on the web from Philip Greenspun in 1994 ?). However, for black and white, a white border looks a bit better. Maybe because a color image is a window on the world, whereas a black and white image is a print hung on a wall ? Or maybe because there are often pure blacks, but no pure whites ? Let's hearing about your preferences and arguments.

[Walter Calahan]

Whatever works with your images. The key is that the border should not distract from the image, meaning it's there but invisible to the viewer's eye.

Some people use hairline rules. Some use thick black. I'd say that white would make your image look darker on the screen, but that's a personal opinion. Your results may vary.

[John Brady]

I started out with black on my site, thinking it would look dramatic with black and white images. I didn't like it so changed it to white. It works better for me. I also have started displaying with black gallery frames. (ymmv).
john
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www.timeandlight.com

[paulr]

I agree with Walter that it's whatever works with the images. However, after designing a lot of web pages and CD ROM portfolios for photographers, I've found that white backgrounds are the only ones that work universally. Several people here have disagreed with this, so I can only say trust your eyes. But many times I've tried to design digital portfolios with black or gray backgrounds, which looked excellent with some of the images, only to find a certain number of problem images later.

The reason is simple ... most of us are in the habit of creating images and prints that resolve their edges against a white background, if for no other reason than the paper base is white. Put one of these images on a gray background, and there's a chance that midtones at the edge will just melt into the surroundings, camouflaging the edge of the image and weakening the whole structure. Black can pose the same problem, but in addition, has the tendency of making blacks in the image look weak.

Some images will work with white or gray or colored backgrounds, but whenever I've had to come up with a template to hold many images, it's caused the above probems sooner or later.

The only problem I've had with white is that some people with uncalibrated LCD displays (especially on laptops) have the screen brightness cranked like a supernova. This can make a white background distractingly bright.

If I use a border, I use a 1 pixel black rule ... something that you don't notice unless you're looking for it, but it helps resolve the image edges a bit.

[Oren Grad]

For the time being, I've settled on gray for my own experiments, for both B&W and color pictures. For my taste, I found that a backlit white was too brilliant even on a calibrated display, and caused too many problems with darker tones in the pictures. I don't use any extra border or frame around the picture. I did for a while but decided it was too fussy, and now I just place the picture directly on the gray background of the page. Maybe I'll change my mind again at some point.

The problem of picture tones blending into the surround is always there. It's just a question of where on the scale you're going to have a problem. A hairline border can help in this respect, but overall I don't like its visual effect, so I don't use one.

[Kirk Keyes]

I use CSS to put borders on my web images. I use a thin (3 pixels) black border directly on the images, surrounded by a white border (simulating matte board), which is then surrounded by another thinner black border to simulate a frame. It doesn't do the nice dropshadows that some people do around their photos, but still gives an impression of a framed photo. Then the background of the page is white.

Like Paul, I think a thin black strip around the image does help separate it from the surrounding page.

[QT Luong]

The reason is simple ... most of us are in the habit of creating images and prints that resolve their edges against a white background, if for no other reason than the paper base is white. Put one of these images on a gray background, and there's a chance that midtones at the edge will just melt into the surroundings, camouflaging the edge of the image and weakening the whole structure. Black can pose the same problem, but in addition, has the tendency of making blacks in the image look weak.

Doesn't that argument favors a white border ? The visual purpose of the border is to separate image from surroundings.

The only problem I've had with white is that some people with uncalibrated LCD displays (especially on laptops) have the screen brightness cranked like a supernova. This can make a white background distractingly bright.

Wouldn't having only a white border, rather than the whole background help ?

If I use a border, I use a 1 pixel black rule ... something that you don't notice unless you're looking for it, but it helps resolve the image edges a bit.

Why black rather than white, if white causes less problems ?

By the way, for business reasons, it's just necessary for me to have a border that is large enough to hold a copyright symbol and the URL. Images do get easily separated from websites in which case you want people to know where it came from. The copyright symbol, while not required, does help deter people. Removal of it is by itself an offence punishable by DMCA. Infringement of an image with the symbol is arguably willful. Copyright is the essence of many photographer's ability to make a living.

[Daniel_Buck]

personally, I do a mix of both, a black border with thin white line. The white line seems to work nice on darker sites, and on lighter sites helps the dark border from seeming to dark (if that makes sense). At least to me, that looks best after seeing several border types, I always seem to like the simple black with a white line or two.

[Kirk Gittings]

Whatever color you use you need to proof your files on that color. Hence don't proof all your files on PS gray and then post them against white or black. Actually I just don't like white period. I think it washes out images.

[Lee Hamiel]

I have gone back & forth between black or white borders - a recent version for the main color that I've used is a dark charcoal gray with a thin white inside bevel along with a thin black outside edge per the attachment.

Trying to simulate an actual matted print I guess ...