A photo can be the right subject and still feel too tight: a face cropped at the hairline, a product with no room for type, or a landscape that needs a wider hero. The free AI image extender on CanvaPro outpaints new pixels past the original borders so the scene can continue, rather than stretching the picture like a rubber sheet.
The live form accepts a JPG or PNG up to 5 MB. WEBP is not in the uploader. After you add the photo, you set Height and Width in pixels. Each control runs from 0 to 2,000 and starts at 0. These values are the amount of extra canvas to add, not a new total export size. Complete the security check and click Extend Image. A preview typically appears in about a minute, depending on the file and how far you extend.
Height and width, not a stretch
Raising Height adds room above and below the frame. Raising Width adds room at the sides. You can extend one axis or both. Leave a value at 0 if you do not want extra pixels in that direction. The model tries to continue skies, walls, floors, and water so the join line disappears. Results are strongest when the existing border already has clear background context. Soft, heavily compressed edges are harder to invent convincingly.
Extending is not the same as upscaling. This tool adds new area outside the frame. It does not increase the resolution of the pixels you already have.
How to extend a photo, step by step
- Upload a sharp JPG or PNG that is 5 MB or smaller. A clean original usually outpaints more naturally than a tiny thumbnail.
- Set Height and Width between 0 and 2,000 pixels, depending on how much room you need for a crop, a title, or a wider layout.
- Complete the security check and click Extend Image once.
- Check the preview along the old border. If the new sky, wall, or ground looks continuous, download the file and keep the original as your master.
When outpainting is most useful
Designers use it to turn a square photo into a wider banner, or to give a tight portrait room for text. Families sometimes uncrop a group shot that was framed too close. Sellers add space around a product so a listing template can breathe. In every case, only upload photos you have the right to edit, and treat the new area as generated pixels, not as part of the original capture.
If the goal is a Story or a grid post, the destination sizes and safe areas are in the guide to uncrop a photo for Instagram.
If the new border looks invented or empty
Confirm you used a JPG or PNG under 5 MB, and that at least one of the dimension fields is greater than 0. Try a smaller extension first if a large add looks soft. If what you actually need is more megapixels inside the existing frame, use the image upscaler instead — that page enlarges the photo you already have, rather than painting new scenery around it.
Uploads travel over HTTPS. Files are processed to complete your request and are not sold.
A slightly flat original can be cleaned first with the image enhancer, then extended, so the new edges have clearer texture to match.
After you download the extended file
Inspect the join at full size, especially along hair, rooflines, and horizons. If a small region looks weak, you can run a more modest extension from the original rather than stacking a second pass on the first export. Crop or add type only after you like the new canvas.
Name the file so you can tell the extended version from the source, and keep both. A single considered extension is easier to use in a layout than several slightly different borders of the same shot.
Crop to the ratio you actually need, and if the short axis is still tight, add a smaller amount and run the image extender once more from the original, not from a stacked download.
How far to extend in practice
Start with a modest add — enough room for a title or a slightly wider crop — before you jump to the 2,000 pixel maximum. A large extension has more invented area to fill, and skies or walls can start to repeat or soften if the model runs out of nearby context. If you need a very wide banner, it can be better to extend once, approve the border, and only then crop or letterbox in your layout tool.
Family photos and tight product shots often need space on just one axis. A portrait that is cropped at the hair may only need Height. A packshot that has no room for a price or a headline may only need Width. Setting both fields high when you only need one direction wastes detail on edges you will crop away.
After a good extension, treat the new pixels as generated scenery. That matters if the photo is being used as a factual record of a place or a product, where invented water, sky, or flooring should be disclosed or avoided.
A wide 16:9 YouTube still is a different crop; that walkthrough is resize a photo into a YouTube thumbnail.
A short checklist
- Upload a JPG or PNG under 5 MB — the live form does not list WEBP.
- Set Height and Width from 0 to 2,000 pixels, then click Extend Image.
- Preview the old border before you download.
- Remember that extending adds new area; it does not upscale the original pixels.
When you are ready, pick a tight frame, add only the pixels you need, and save the preview once the new edges look natural. One clean canvas is more useful than a guess at the maximum 2,000 pixels.