Photoshop for Beginners: Floating Border

A great way to emphasize a particular element of a photograph or image is to put a border around it. This tutorial walks you through how to create an adjustable border that you can use easily and quickly.

1. Use the image above and open a new document in Photoshop. Just right-click on the image, select Copy.

2. Make sure your colors are set to default by clicking the “Default Foreground and Background Color” tool. Grab the Rectangle Shape Tool and confirm that the Shape Layers option is selected. Now put a rectangle over the general area you want to highlight.

3. In the Layer Window, make the Fill 0% on this layer.

4. Right-click on the layer and select “Blending Options”

5. In the Blending Options window, check the Stroke box and adjust your settings to the following:

6. Still in the Blending Options window, check the Drop Shadow box and adjust the settings accordingly, but feel free to adjust as needed:

7. Grab your Rectangular Marquee Tool (or press Ctrl + M) and select around the outside of your frame. You don’t have to be exact, just stay within the bounds of the frame. Click the “Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer” button in the Layers window and select Hue/Saturation.

8. Adjust the setting to -75 saturation:

9. Go to Image -> Adjustments -> Invert or press Ctrl + I.

10. Hold down Shift and select the two layers you have created and right-click. Select “Link layers.”

There you have it! To adjust the location or size of your frame, just use your Move Tool or press Ctrl + V.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 31st, 2010 at 4:54 am and is filed under Tutorials. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.