166. Frame a Photograph Before You Begin  60 Change Image Size or Resolution
93 Create a Layer Filled with a Color, Gradient, or Pattern 163 Mask an Image Layer
After spending lots of time creating the perfect image, why not frame it? With the Editor, it's easy to add a framefrom brushed aluminum to rough woodsimply by applying a frame effect. Some frame effects require you to make a selection first, and then the frame is placed around this selection. One frame effect creates a simple frame using the current foreground color. Although applying a frame effect is quick and easy, it allows you no artistic freedom whatsoever. In this task, I'll show you how to create your own frame and mat. 1. | Add an Inner Bevel
Open an image in the Editor in Standard Edit mode and save it in Photoshop (*.psd) format. If your image contains more than one layer, flatten the image so that it will be easier to add a frame and a mat by selecting Layer, Flatten Image from the menu bar.
 Add an inner bevel to the image to simulate the bevel normally found along the inner edge of a photographic mat. On the Styles and Effects palette, select Layer Styles from the first drop-down list, and select Bevels from the second list. Double-click the Simple Inner or Simple Sharp Inner thumbnail to apply that style to the image. You might be asked if you want to convert the Background layer into a full layer. Click OK and name the new layer Image.
NOTES  | Obviously, you won't take the trouble to add a graphic "frame" around an image that you intend to print and frame yourself, but you might add a digital frame to an image destined for a card, scrapbook, or Web page. To apply a frame effect, select Effects from the first drop-down list on the Styles and Effects palette, and select Frames from the second list. Then, double-click any effect thumbnail to apply it to your image. You might be asked to flatten the image first; click OK to continue. If an effect's name contains the { selection} notation, you must make a selection first before applying that effect to the image. |
| 2. | Make Canvas Larger
Increase the canvas to make room for the mat and the frame. Choose Image, Resize, Canvas Size from the menu. Enable the Relative option and click the center box in the Anchor pane. Type the same amount in the Width and Height boxes, and click OK. I usually add an amount that's slightly greater than 1/4 the largest dimension of the original image. For example, if your image is roughly 5" x 7" like mine, add 2 inches to the width and height.
| 3. | Add the Mat
To add the mat, insert a fill layer below the Image layer. To create this new layer, choose Layer, New Fill Layer, Solid Color from the menu bar. Name the new layer Mat. Do not enable the Group With Previous Layer option. Choose the color you want for the mat from the Color Picker. Ideally, you can use the Eyedropper tool to choose a color already in your image (see 114 Select a Color Already in Your Image for details). On the Layers palette, drag the Mat layer below the Image layer.
TIPS  | If you change the Foreground Color swatch on the Toolbox to the color you want to use for your mat before you begin step 3, that color will be automatically chosen for you when the Color Picker appears, and it will be used to fill the new layer. Add a texture to your mat by applying a texture filter or effect using the Styles and Effects palette. |
| 4. | Add the Frame
To create the frame, do any of the following:
Add a new fill layer and fill it with any color you want. (You're not going to actually see this color when you're finished; you're using the color only to make the layer opaque.) Name this new layer Frame. On the Layers palette, drag the Frame layer to the bottom of the layer stack. Then, apply a layer style that compliments your photo; the layer style replaces the color you chose earlier. On the Styles and Effects palette, with Layer Styles still selected in the first drop-down list, select Patterns from the second list. Then, double-click the thumbnail of the pattern you want to use for your frame. For example, you might choose Batik, Manhole, Oak, or Dry Mud. There are some options on the Complex list you might like, such as Diamond Plate, Molten Gold, White Grid on Orange, or Red, White, and Blue Contrast. Experiment until you find the perfect compliment to your photograph. Insert a new layer by clicking the Create a new layer button on the Layers palette or choosing Layer, New, Layer. Name this new layer Frame. On the Layers palette, drag the new layer to the bottom of the layer stack. Then, fill the new layer with a color or gradient, or simply paint or stamp a pattern on it with various colors taken from the photograph. You also could draw shapes using the Custom Shape tool, such as a paw print or a butterfly. If you like, add a filter to mix the colors to create a pattern or texture, or to achieve an artsy look. Choose an effect to create your frame. Because effects automatically add a layer to your image, you don't have to create the frame layer first. On the Styles and Effects palette, select Effects from the first drop-down list. Select Texture from the second list, and then double-click the thumbnail of a texture that complements your image. Drag the new layer to the bottom of the layer stack of the Layers palette. From there, you can rename this new layer Frame. TIP | Instead of creating a mat and frame, you can create a decorative edge for a photo by simply painting on a layer below your image layer (lower the opacity of the image layer to aid your work), and then creating a clipping mask using that layer. See 163 Mask an Image Layer. |
| 5. | Create Mask Selection
Right now, with the Frame layer at the bottom of the layer stack, you can't see the frame at all because the Mat layer is covering it up. So, you need to mask the Mat layer using a clipping mask so that only part of it shows through. Press Ctrl and click the thumbnail for the Image layer on the Layers palette. This selects the image. Choose Select, Modify, Expand to increase the selection around the image by the amount you want the mat to show, roughly 1/4 the size of the frame.
You can repeat the Expand command if necessary to add more space for your mat. If you accidentally expand the selection by more than you want the mat to show, use the Selection, Modify, Contract command to shrink it a little.
| 6. | Mask the Mat Layer
Insert a new layer below the Mat layer and above the Frame layer for the mask. To do this, select the Frame layer in the Layers palette and insert a new layer by clicking the Create a new layer button on the Layers palette or by choosing Layer, New, Layer. Name this new layer Mask.
Click the Paint Bucket tool on the Toolbox. On the Options bar, be sure that Opacity is set to 100% and Mode is set to Normal. Then, click within the selection marquee to fill the selection with any color. The mask layer thumbnail should show a rectangle just a bit larger than the size of your image, filled with the color you selected. To mask the Mat layer with this rectangle, select the Mat layer in the Layers palette and choose Layer, Group with Previous. The Mat layer appears indented in the Layers palette to indicate that it's being masked by the layer below. You should now see the frame.
NOTE | If you want, you can add an inner bevel to help the Mat layer look more like a mat. Select the Mask layer on the Layers palette (yes, you add the bevel to the Mask layer, not to the Mat layer). Then repeat step 1 to add the inner bevel. |
| 7. | View the Result
After you're satisfied with the result, make any other changes you want and save the PSD file. Resave the result in JPEG or TIFF format, leaving your PSD image with its layers intact so that you can return at a later time and make different adjustments if you want.
I wanted to frame this photo of Hattie, my Aunt Betty's Scottie dog, for use on a greeting card. I used a black mat and a frame created with the Cold Lava texture effect. I added a border outside the frame by Ctrl+clicking the thumbnail for the Frame layer on the Layers palette (which selected the Frame layer), choosing Select, Modify, Border and expanding the border selection by 25 pixels, and filling the selection with black using the Paint Bucket tool. Look for this image in the Color Gallery.
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