Using Photoshop CS6 to frame your pictures
Here is the simplest way I have found to use Photoshop CS6 to frame your pictures.
Decide which picture to frame. This might be the hardest step. 
I’ll use a picture of Zoey the Cool Cat waiting for Santa Claus to deliver a mourning dove under the Christmas tree:
Do all of your photo editing work before framing. Your final picture is the one you want to frame. So that you can keep up with me here, resize your picture to 600 pixels on the longest side, the horizontal side. You can do that many ways, but I’ll show you how to do it here using Photoshop CS6.
Click on Image ► Image Size. In the Width box, type 600, hit tab, and make sure the box now highlighted in blue reads Pixels. If it doesn’t, click on the down arrow and choose Pixels. Then hit Enter or click on OK.
Now that we have a 600-pixels-wide picture, we’re set to go. I wanted you to use the Image ► Image Size command because right below it is the command that controls our framing, the Image ► Canvas Size command. If your picture is small on your screen, hold the Control key down and hit zero on your number keypad; do not use the top row of numbers (If it doesn’t resize your picture, make sure your number lock key is on and try again).
Let’s put a thin white border around our picture. I always use a thin light-colored border, either white or gray, to separate the picture from the thicker colored border that we’re going to create and which adds that certain pizzazz to the framing, just like at the framing shop.
Click on Image ► Canvas Size. That gives you this window:
In the Width box, change 600 to 610. Make sure the box next to that says Pixels. Since we want an even border around the picture, change the 399 to 409 and make sure the box next to that also says Pixels. Change Canvas extension color to White:
Now you should have a white border around your picture. I used WordPress to put a black border around my white-bordered picture here so that you could see the white border:
Now let’s put in our colored border. Again, click on Image ► Canvas Size. Let’s make it a 50 pixel colored border. Change 610 to 660 in the Width box, and change 409 to 459 in the Height box. Click on the down arrow in the Canvas extension color box and choose Other. That brings up the Color Picker (Canvas Extension Color) box.
Here’s where you can really have some fun. You can choose any color by using the color box, the color strip, or HTML number codes for any color imaginable. However, what I like to do is pick a color from my picture. The way to do that is simply to move your cursor out of the Color picker window and over your picture. Notice that your cursor turns into an eyedropper. Click your eyedropper anywhere on your picture and you’ll see that the color you clicked on magically appears in the Color Picker window. Everything you ever wanted to know about the color you clicked on is now in the Color Picker window:
Click on OK, and then click OK again. Hold the Control key down and hit zero on your number keypad to resize the picture to fit on your screen. Here’s my picture:
Now let’s add our final border, a white border, to separate the purple mat from our final frame, which will be black.
Click on Image ► Canvas Size and change the Width box to 760 and the Height box to 559. Change the Canvas extension color to White. Click on OK. Hit Control and zero on the keypad to resize your picture to fit on the screen. I’ve used WordPress again to put a thin black border around my picture so you could see the white border we just added.
Now we’re going to add an extension just to the bottom so we can add a title and our company logo.
Click on Image ► Canvas Size again. Do not change the width. Instead, change the height to 659 pixels. Now we need to anchor that 100 pixels to the bottom of the canvass. In the Anchor box with all the arrows….
….click on the top center arrow. What that means is that you want to anchor your picture in the top center, forcing your new 100-pixels canvas extension to go to the bottom center. Your Canvas Size box should look like this:
Click on OK. Your picture should look like the following (I again used the WordPress function to put a thin black line around my picture here).
Our last border will be black, to act as a black frame around the picture and the white and purple mat frames.
Click on Image ► Canvas Size and change the Width from 760 to 810, and the Height from 659 to 709. Change the Canvas extension color to Black:
Lastly, add text and your company logo.
If you don’t know how to add text and your logo, let me know in a comment. If there is enough demand, I’ll do a tutorial on that. If you have any problems, also let me know in a comment. Meanwhile, happy framing!
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Posted on December 4, 2012, in Adobe, Digital photo editing, How I Did It. Bookmark the permalink. 60 Comments.
Thank you so much …, this would be very usefull.
Blessings,
mei
Very nice tutorial but I want a kitty under MY tree.
Write Santa!……….lol
Thank you, Russel Ray!
Very cool tips! I think if I were going to do this regularly, I’d set up a template so that I could just change the colors each time.
Exactly! Or create an Action.
awesome tutorial! Thanks, Russel!
That was very interesting thanks
I use PSE8 so not sure whether I can do this with it but nothing venture nothing gain so I wil see what happens when I get in there. Alternatively there may be a different way to do it I guess. Be interesting to experiment 
I love your pic of Zoey the Cool Cat btw 
Very cute!
Very interesting, thanks. Look forward to more!
Very interesting tuturiol thanks Russel, just started using photoshop, this will come in handy.
.
Amazed by the possibilities but lacking the necessary patience. Thanks for taking the time and trouble.
Very helpful!
Beautiful cat! Thanks for the tips.
Hello, Russel! I gave you BLOG of the YEAR 2012 AWARD! Check it out: http://ladaray.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/the-earth-shifter-and-blog-of-the-year-2012-award/
Thank you!
Do you use Illustrator? It’s much easier to do there
I don’t. I use CorelDraw, Illustrator’s competitor. It’s easier in CorelDraw, too, but my goal is to learn the ins and outs of Photoshop. I already know the ins and outs of CorelDraw, and there aren’t too many photographers, especially point & shoot photographers, who have Illustrator or CorelDraw.
That’s true, good luck
Good tutorial. Thanks.
I’m still in the dark ages with CS3, but these instructions will still work with that old version, won’t they?
I don’t know, Darla, since I didn’t have CS3. I guess, try it and see.
This should work, looks easy when you do it. I now have to try it
Thanks for the time and effort on this post.
Most informative and easy to follow.
Emu
Thanks for all of the great info. You certainly know your photoshop stuff. I just want to keep the picture of Zoey, she looks so beautiful.
I will get back to you when I get t he chance to do this but you seem to have gone into better detail than most and love the cat. I am a budding nature photographer, love capturing children when not expecting it and animals are just the greatest subjects you can have. I will post a photo after i create it,
I’m looking forward to what you — and others — do.
Thanks for the tutorial, Russel. I will be giving it a go when I am feeling cool, calm and collected!!!
Thank you!
Thanks for the lessons!
Hi Russel Ray, I’ve been missing you recently, and realized I haven’t been by in quite a while, so I am on a camping trip today. I love this tutorial. I’m going to try it although I have a different Photoshop program than you do, so it will take a little adjusting. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge. That’s a generous gift. Here’s wishing you a wonderfully happy holiday. Marsha Lee
She looks just gorgeous
She gave you her good side lol
She thinks all of her sides are good sides!………..lol
HAHAHA oh yes of course
Yeah! I did it. I’m so pleased! Thanks Russel Ray. I’m going to post it later today or tomorrow.
Yahoooooooooooooooooo!
I’m going to wait until Wednesday, but it came out great! How do you get the frayed edges? I learned how to put snowflakes on my picture today by accident. – another big YEAH!!! Thanks again for all your support. Your tutorial was so easy to follow. Marsha
It’s an Action that came with Photoshop CS6. Go to Windows ► Actions and look for Spatter Frame.
Thanks Russel Ray! I love your frames, Now I’m going to feel so professional!
Thanks for the info Russel. Photoshop is on my new years learn to use list.
Stay as wonderful as you are! Happy holiday’s to you and cool cat!
this is cool – will have to give it a shot. I have PhotoShop but have not taken the time to learn how to use it!
Thanks Russel. Great tutorial. I’m going to try it with CS5, and I could use the logo tutorial if you’re of a mind to do it. Love the shot of Zoey.
I’ll put the logo tutorial on my list of things to do and do it sometime this weekend.
After you camped out at my place for awhile I thought I’d come over to see how your site looked. Wow! What a neat site. If you don’t mind I’d like to hang around so you could teach me how to chop wood and do picture frames and any thing else that I might pick up that I don’t know how to do.I was amazed at how well and easy it was to follow. All I have to do is to see if I can do it on cs2 or go buy a new program, O! Happy New Year and your kitty is good subject. Jim
Gorgeous photo of Zoey. My best friend and her cat Sebrina live with me and I gotta tell ya … these two ladies have a strong resemblance.
Blessings ~ Maxi
Hi there, thanks for the information, i have just experimented with one of my new photographs and think i have done a pretty good job!
I love these tips and tricks keep them coming! xx
Thank you for visiting my blog always.
Really incredible. Thanks for visiting my blog and liking my poems. Do pay a visit again.
I’ve always loved poetry, and the Internet allows me to read some really great stuff from around the world!
Thanks for visiting. Do visit again.
Your art work is supreme to say the least. God bless you.
Thanks for following Cold, Russell. I aim never to bore
I’ll be back in a day or two to do some reading, liking, and commenting. Hope the camp store stays open late!
Your site is great ans thank you for the share it will take me some time to get uset to this internet thing, I am learning alot thank you friend
Thanks for visiting my blog. I love your work and tutorials.
Great step by step instructions for someone like me who is not technology savvy. Thanks!
I also appreciate your follow on my blog!
I’ll be back in a day or two to do some reading, liking, commenting………..
Absolutely LOVE the tutorials! I’ve ‘favorited’ this blog for future reference and can’t wait to see the next one.
Great post.Wishing you success.Thank you for liking few of my recent posts.Regards.jalal
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