diff --git a/docs/api.md b/docs/api.md
index 47ccf865..b8641e6f 100644
--- a/docs/api.md
+++ b/docs/api.md
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@ sharp(input)
 
 #### background(rgba)
 
-Set the background for the `embed` and `flatten` operations.
+Set the background for the `embed`, `flatten` and `extend` operations.
 
 `rgba` is parsed by the [color](https://www.npmjs.org/package/color) module to extract values for red, green, blue and alpha.
 
@@ -292,6 +292,25 @@ The default background is `{r: 0, g: 0, b: 0, a: 1}`, black without transparency
 
 Merge alpha transparency channel, if any, with `background`.
 
+#### extend(extension)
+
+Extends/pads the edges of the image with `background`, where `extension` is one of:
+
+* a Number representing the pixel count to add to each edge, or
+* an Object containing `top`, `left`, `bottom` and `right` attributes, each a Number of pixels to add to that edge.
+
+This operation will always occur after resizing and extraction, if any.
+
+```javascript
+// Resize to 140 pixels wide, then add 10 transparent pixels
+// to the top, left and right edges and 20 to the bottom edge
+sharp(input)
+  .resize(140)
+  .background({r: 0, g: 0, b: 0, a: 0})
+  .extend({top: 10, bottom: 20, left: 10, right: 10})
+  ...
+```
+
 #### negate()
 
 Produces the "negative" of the image.  White => Black, Black => White, Blue => Yellow, etc.
diff --git a/docs/changelog.md b/docs/changelog.md
index b8678b41..60b8cac9 100644
--- a/docs/changelog.md
+++ b/docs/changelog.md
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 
 ### v0.14 - "*needle*"
 
+* Add ability to extend (pad) the edges of an image.
+  [#128](https://github.com/lovell/sharp/issues/128)
+  [@blowsie](https://github.com/blowsie)
+
 * Improvements to overlayWith: differing sizes/formats, gravity, buffer input.
   [#239](https://github.com/lovell/sharp/issues/239)
   [@chrisriley](https://github.com/chrisriley)
diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index 39a3aa60..265ad690 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -69,6 +69,10 @@ var Sharp = function(input, options) {
     rotateBeforePreExtract: false,
     flip: false,
     flop: false,
+    extendTop: 0,
+    extendBottom: 0,
+    extendLeft: 0,
+    extendRight: 0,
     withoutEnlargement: false,
     interpolator: 'bicubic',
     // operations
@@ -650,6 +654,32 @@ Sharp.prototype.tile = function(size, overlap) {
   return this;
 };
 
+/*
+  Extend edges
+*/
+Sharp.prototype.extend = function(extend) {
+  if (isInteger(extend) && extend > 0) {
+    this.options.extendTop = extend;
+    this.options.extendBottom = extend;
+    this.options.extendLeft = extend;
+    this.options.extendRight = extend;
+  } else if (
+    isObject(extend) &&
+    isInteger(extend.top) && extend.top >= 0 &&
+    isInteger(extend.bottom) && extend.bottom >= 0 &&
+    isInteger(extend.left) && extend.left >= 0 &&
+    isInteger(extend.right) && extend.right >= 0
+  ) {
+    this.options.extendTop = extend.top;
+    this.options.extendBottom = extend.bottom;
+    this.options.extendLeft = extend.left;
+    this.options.extendRight = extend.right;
+  } else {
+    throw new Error('Invalid edge extension ' + extend);
+  }
+  return this;
+};
+
 Sharp.prototype.resize = function(width, height) {
   if (!width) {
     this.options.width = -1;
diff --git a/src/pipeline.cc b/src/pipeline.cc
index df5770e6..f153559f 100644
--- a/src/pipeline.cc
+++ b/src/pipeline.cc
@@ -522,6 +522,27 @@ class PipelineWorker : public AsyncWorker {
         );
       }
 
+      // Extend edges
+      if (baton->extendTop > 0 || baton->extendBottom > 0 || baton->extendLeft > 0 || baton->extendRight > 0) {
+        // Scale up 8-bit values to match 16-bit input image
+        const double multiplier = (image.interpretation() == VIPS_INTERPRETATION_RGB16) ? 256.0 : 1.0;
+        // Create background colour
+        std::vector<double> background {
+          baton->background[0] * multiplier,
+          baton->background[1] * multiplier,
+          baton->background[2] * multiplier
+        };
+        // Add alpha channel to background colour
+        if (HasAlpha(image)) {
+          background.push_back(baton->background[3] * multiplier);
+        }
+        // Embed
+        baton->width = image.width() + baton->extendLeft + baton->extendRight;
+        baton->height = image.height() + baton->extendTop + baton->extendBottom;
+        image = image.embed(baton->extendLeft, baton->extendTop, baton->width, baton->height,
+          VImage::option()->set("extend", VIPS_EXTEND_BACKGROUND)->set("background", background));
+      }
+
       // Threshold - must happen before blurring, due to the utility of blurring after thresholding
       if (shouldThreshold) {
         image = image.colourspace(VIPS_INTERPRETATION_B_W) >= baton->threshold;
@@ -991,6 +1012,10 @@ NAN_METHOD(pipeline) {
   baton->rotateBeforePreExtract = attrAs<bool>(options, "rotateBeforePreExtract");
   baton->flip = attrAs<bool>(options, "flip");
   baton->flop = attrAs<bool>(options, "flop");
+  baton->extendTop = attrAs<int32_t>(options, "extendTop");
+  baton->extendBottom = attrAs<int32_t>(options, "extendBottom");
+  baton->extendLeft = attrAs<int32_t>(options, "extendLeft");
+  baton->extendRight = attrAs<int32_t>(options, "extendRight");
   // Output options
   baton->progressive = attrAs<bool>(options, "progressive");
   baton->quality = attrAs<int32_t>(options, "quality");
diff --git a/src/pipeline.h b/src/pipeline.h
index a5778a29..ae024614 100644
--- a/src/pipeline.h
+++ b/src/pipeline.h
@@ -60,6 +60,10 @@ struct PipelineBaton {
   bool rotateBeforePreExtract;
   bool flip;
   bool flop;
+  int extendTop;
+  int extendBottom;
+  int extendLeft;
+  int extendRight;
   bool progressive;
   bool withoutEnlargement;
   VipsAccess accessMethod;
@@ -106,6 +110,10 @@ struct PipelineBaton {
     angle(0),
     flip(false),
     flop(false),
+    extendTop(0),
+    extendBottom(0),
+    extendLeft(0),
+    extendRight(0),
     progressive(false),
     withoutEnlargement(false),
     quality(80),
diff --git a/test/fixtures/expected/extend-equal.jpg b/test/fixtures/expected/extend-equal.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..800f32e9
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/fixtures/expected/extend-equal.jpg differ
diff --git a/test/fixtures/expected/extend-unequal.png b/test/fixtures/expected/extend-unequal.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1454f016
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/fixtures/expected/extend-unequal.png differ
diff --git a/test/unit/extend.js b/test/unit/extend.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2232512d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/extend.js
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+'use strict';
+
+var assert = require('assert');
+
+var sharp = require('../../index');
+var fixtures = require('../fixtures');
+
+describe('Extend', function () {
+
+  it('extend all sides equally with RGB', function(done) {
+    sharp(fixtures.inputJpg)
+      .resize(120)
+      .background({r: 255, g: 0, b: 0})
+      .extend(10)
+      .toBuffer(function(err, data, info) {
+        if (err) throw err;
+        assert.strictEqual(140, info.width);
+        assert.strictEqual(118, info.height);
+        fixtures.assertSimilar(fixtures.expected('extend-equal.jpg'), data, done);
+      });
+  });
+
+  it('extend sides unequally with RGBA', function(done) {
+    sharp(fixtures.inputPngWithTransparency16bit)
+      .resize(120)
+      .background({r: 0, g: 0, b: 0, a: 0})
+      .extend({top: 50, bottom: 0, left: 10, right: 35})
+      .toBuffer(function(err, data, info) {
+        if (err) throw err;
+        assert.strictEqual(165, info.width);
+        assert.strictEqual(170, info.height);
+        fixtures.assertSimilar(fixtures.expected('extend-unequal.png'), data, done);
+      });
+  });
+
+  it('missing parameter fails', function() {
+    assert.throws(function() {
+      sharp().extend();
+    });
+  });
+  it('negative fails', function() {
+    assert.throws(function() {
+      sharp().extend(-1);
+    });
+  });
+  it('partial object fails', function() {
+    assert.throws(function() {
+      sharp().extend({top: 1});
+    });
+  });
+
+});