How To Create Funky Photo Edges

(screenshots from Photoshop CS2)

In this tutorial we will show you how to create an interesting edge for your photos. In this example we will make a 4x6 inch edge, but you can follow this same tutorial to make any size edge (5x7, 8x10, etc.).

First open a picture that you want to work with. Crop the photo to the size you would like, in this case 4x6 inches.

Create a copy of your photo by pressing Ctrl-J.

Make sure your top layer is the active layer, if it isn't highlighted in blue then click on it. We will now change the Canvas Size - click on Image > Canvas Size. Add 1 inch to both the width and height, check the box next to Relative, and the Canvas extension color is White.

Load the duplicate layer as a selection by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking on the layer thumbnail - this will put marching ants around your selection. Now create a new layer by clicking on the create a new layer icon at the bottom of the layers palette. Press D on your keyboard to set your colors back to default (black and white).

Now add a stroke to this selection on your new layer by clicking Edit > Stroke. Use settings similar to these, making sure the stroke is on the Inside, which will give you a nice square edge. Click OK. Click Ctrl-D to deselect the marching ants.

Make your stroke layer into a selection by holding the Ctrl key and clicking on the layer thumbnail. Hide the stroke layer by clicking on the eye next to the thumbnail. Create a new layer by clicking on the create a new layer icon on the layers palette.

We are now going to create a Quick Mask. Press Q on your keyboard to enter Quick Mask mode, or you can click on the Edit in Quick Mask Mode icon on the tool bar.

The pink color shows the areas that are masked and will not be affected by anything we are about to do.

Click on Filter > Brush Strokes > Spatter. These are the settings we used, but if you play with the slider you can see the effect it will have on the stroke layer. Click OK when you are satisfied. Press Q on the keyboard to exit Quick Mask Mode.

Fill this layer with black by clicking on the Paint Bucket tool and clicking within the selection. Hide your other layers by clicking the eye next to the layers. Press Ctrl-D to deselect. You should have something like this...

Save this file as a .png to preserve its transparency. You could try experimenting with different filters, textures or colors to get a different look. Try using them as masks or with a layer blend mode. Here is our end result...now have fun!