Creating Photo Edges
When creating edges around an image - simplicity is the key. You want to use a simple photo treatment to avoid detracting from the content of the image itself. When creating an online catalog where numerous images will be displayed, or when combining images into a collage, always apply the same effect to each photo. A collage created with photos which have 4-5 different edges looks busy and unprofessional. Drop Shadow
When creating a drop shadow around an image, first
make a copy of the image. Next enlarge the canvas size so there is room to add the shadow. I make
sure that white is my background color and then access the Image menu > Canvas size >. I add
50 pixels to the height and width which will be distributed evenly top to bottom and left to right.
Here is the huma huma fish after I enlarged the canvas.
When working with
Photoshop images sometimes a photo will open with a single layer named "Background", while other times
it will open with a layer named "Layer 1". The
original image of the fish was on a layer named "Background" and had white pixels around it's edge.
When I copied this layer the copy of the fish
was on a transparent background.
If you begin with an image on a layer named "Layer 1" both the original and the copy will be on a transparent layer. add a third layer and place is below the copy. fill this layer with white, so you can see the effects of the "special edges".
I can now access the style menu at the bottom of the layer palette and select drop shadow. When shadowing a large photo I set a large distance and size. (15 in this case). The opacity was also adjusted to 50%. Since this photo was very dark at the edge I used a light shadow.
This image is much smaller and has more light elements, so I used drop shadow settings of 7 for
the size and distance. The opacity remained at the default of 75%.
Stroked Edge
Another attractive look is to add a thin stroke to a image. This helps define images within a collage, helps unify images within a page, and provides separation between the image and the page itself. Go lightly here. A thin stroke is almost always better than a thick one.
I opened up a photo of a young woman who is in an electronic lab. I made a copy of the photo so I would not be working on the original. Again I increased the canvas size, ever though a stroke does not take much room, I wanted to see how the stroke would look against my page color. With additional white space added to the image I can now see the effect of a single pixel black stroke on a white page.
I accessed the style icon at the bottom of the layer palette and selected stroke.
The stroke menu is big and clunky and for some reason it defaults
to red with a stroke width of 3. I adjust the settings so that PhotoShop created a single pixel
stroke, in black, on the outside of the image.
Feathered Selection
In the unusual crop section I discussed creating a feathered selection for an image which was originally cropped with the shape tool. If you plan to crop your image with a more traditional shape such as a rectangle or oval, you can use the selection marquee instead. I select the rectangular marquee tool use the option bar to set the feather to a value of 20.
The selection will appear to have rounded corners because it is a
feathered selection. Next I access the Select menu > Inverse. Now I delete the outer area of
the image. I hope you remembered to do this on a copy of your original image. It can be difficult
to see what the final look of the image is since the photo is feathered over a transparent
background.
I like to add another layer with the background color of my page so I can get a
feel for the selection. With white behind the image i can now see what happened when I deleted the
edges of the photo.
As you can see I have a hard edge at the top of the screen. This is a common
problem. there are 2 things you can do. First make sure you use the feather technique only with an
image that has enough photo above, below, left and right to allow for a feathered selection. Second
while the selection is still active delete again. More of the image will be removed and the sharp
edge at the top will be eliminated. Be warned some of your image will also be eliminated as
well.
