Fancy photographic edges are the current rage on the internet. You can purchase an expensive plugin program to create these special effects, or you can download the images following, convert them to masks, and create your own fancy photo edges. Following are a few samples:

  

Both the above examples use the same mask. The example on the left was filled with the background color, a drop shadow was applied, then it was saved as a transparent gif. The example on the right has the background filled with wood, a drop shadow applied and a white drop shadow applied on both sides to give a "torn paper" effect.

To create these effects, you will need to create masks out of the following images. The images are quite large (600x400 pixels), but when you load the masks, they conform to the size of your photo. To load create these edges:

1. Have your Layers palette open.
2. Open the mask graphic.
3. If the graphic is a gif (as these are), increase colors to 16 million colors. This is a very important step since it appears that trying to load a mask in gif format causes PSP to crash!
4. Open your photo. Rename this layer "Photo" (right click on the layer name and choose "Properties").
5. Add a new layer and fill with your background color. Name this layer "PhotoEdge"
6. On this layer, choose Masks|New|From Image.
7. Fill out the window as follows (except choose your edge graphic name in the window that says "This Window":)

   

8. You should now see your photo showing through with the edges the color you chose for the edge layer.
9. Save your mask by choosing Masks|Save to Alpha Channel.
10. Delete your mask (Masks|Delete) and say "Yes" when asked if you want to "Merge with Layer".
11. Add another new layer and call this one "Shadow".
12. Choose Selections|Load from Alpha Channel and load your mask selection. Invert your selection. You should now have just your photo selected.
13. Choose Selections|Modify|Contract and contract by 2.
14. Now apply a drop shadow making it larger than you normally would to compensate for the contraction. Apply with opacity at 100%.
15. Adjust the opacity slider on the shadow layer until you get the opacity you like.
16. Now, if you have filled your background with any other color than white, you can give your photo a kind of "torn paper" edge. To do this:
    • Add another new layer. Name it WhiteShadow
    • Load and invert your selection.
    • Contract by 1.
    • Add a white drop shadow Opacity 100%, Blur 1, Offset 1, 1
    • Repeat and add white drop shadow again except make Offset -1, 1-
    • Adjust the opacity slider if necessary to get the look you want.
17. Save this graphic as a "psp" file if you think you might want to change it in the future or choose "File|Save a Copy As" and save as a jpg or as a transparent gif.

Following are 10 mask patterns for you to choose from. Please click on the graphic to load the complete graphic into your browser before saving. If you right click on the graphic below and save it, you will be saving the thumbnail, not the mask. Have fun!

Another photo edge effect that is quite effective is to fade the photo. Following are a few examples of this effect.

The image on the left was created using the oval mask pattern below. To use this mask:

1. Open the mask pattern and rotate the mask pattern 90 degrees to the right.
2. Open the graphic to apply the mask to.
3. Add a new layer.
4. Working on new layer, choose Masks|New|From Image and choose the mask file.
5. Flood fill this layer with your background color.

1. Select an oval on the base layer with the marquee tool. If it is not positioned where you want it, use the Mover tool (the hand), right click on your selection and while holding down the right mouse button, move your selection.
2. Choose Selections|Modify|Feather.
3. Set the feather to 10 or so.
4. Choose Selections|Invert.
5. Set the background color to what you want the background to be and hit delete.

Now to get a little fancier, how do these look?

        

The picture on the left used the oval mask and the picture on the right the star.

Following are five fade masks. To save the mask graphic, click on the one you want (what you are seeing is a thumbnail of the graphic). When the actual graphic appears on your browser, right click on it and choose to save to your hard drive.