Frames ain't wot they used to be! *s*

Considering I am not really a 'frames' person, I nevertheless enjoy being creative with them...usually when I feel that an image needs some sort of surrounds but I don't want the conventional type of frame. I often get asked how I have created my whacky frames...or should I say 'designer'? *s*  I recently did a tutorial on one of my crazy frames and thought I would put together a few tutes on more of the crazy methods I use in making them.  As always, I encourage you all to be creative and experiment...but remember to share any great ideas with me. *s* 
 

What you will need.

• PSP 7      Download a trial.   I used PSP 8 for this tutorial...after doing it first in PSP 7

• Xenofex 1.1  Unfortunately you have to buy this program but they do have a 30 day demo.

• Super Blade Pro  or Blade Pro   Demo available

• Bagatelle Preset   extract to the Environments and Textures folder in Super Blade Pro.

• An image of your choice.

 

Please note that most of the screen shots have been reduced to 60% for faster loading.  

Also remember to SAVE often!

 

Step 1.  Open up the image that you wish to frame or use one that you have just created...make a copy of it...Shift + D...close the original.  Let's work on the copy.  If it shows as a background in the layer palette, then  promote to layer. Naturally, I have based my directions for colours of borders on my image, so you would substitute mine by picking out a dark and light colour from your own image.  Go to Image...Add borders.... size 20...white.....using the magic wand Tolerance 0....select the border.

Step 2 Go to Effects...Plugins.....Xenofex1.1...Distress...with these settings: Lumpy...59...69...change them around if you wish to get a different edging. click OK.  Keep selected.

Step 3 Geometric Effects....Wave...20...20...4...4.....Colour...Black....please feel free to be creative and play around with these settings.  Deselect.

Step 4.   Use the magic wand again to select the black in the border...if you have a lot of black in your picture, make sure that the tolerance is set to 0...otherwise you will be picking up bits in the image too. Though on some occasions I have done that too...depending on the image. *s*  Select the black...Selections...Modify...Select similar...with these settings below. I used Super Blade Pro...Bagetelle on the next part...but you can test a few out for different effects, in Blade Pro too. These are the changes that I made to the Bagetelle preset.  Choose okay to apply the preset....keep selected. Go to Adjust...Hue and Saturation...Colourize and apply the shade that you want to match your image. For mine, I chose Hue 150...Saturation 90 .  Still keeping selected...go to Effects...3D Effects...Drop Shadow: V 2   H 2...Opacity 54  Blur 1.0  Black.  Now go to Selections...float...Effects...3D Effects...Cut out...V 1....H 1...Opacity 100...Blur 1.3 colour Black.  Repeat again but this time change V and H to -1 .  Deselect.

 

Step 5.  Now finally, add a black border of size 20...select with magic wand    Go to Effects...Texture Effects...Mosaic...Antique.....default settings.  Go to Selections...float and add the cutout twice like we did previously.  That's it!  Crazy but Fun! *s*  Whilst playing around with the settings in the features that I have used, I found many great effects...I think you are going to love the results too.  *Warning* Can be very addictive. *g* See what I mean?  *g* I achieved this by going only as far as Step 3...then simply applying Xero...Soft Mood. Xero....Porcelain turned out good too Complete  Step 4...then add a black border of 20...select it with magic wand and go to Effects...Artistic Effects....Colured Foil...74...75...313  Colour  #F3D04E

        

 

 

Have Fun! and  Email if you have any problems!

 

 

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Tutorial by Mary Newton aka Lady Oz aka Lady Newtonia © 2003