Framing a Masked Photograph

Want to create a border around your photo? Since you are printing the photos yourself this is no problem. Placing a frame around a photo can really enhance your results. This is especially useful when you are creating cards, announcements, scrapbook pages, or anytime you simply want to draw attention to a photograph. To frame a photo just follow these easy steps:

Step 1. Open a new template or edit an existing one.

Step 2. If starting from a new template document, create a photo cell by clicking the

icon in the tool palette. Drag and position the outline of the photo cell where you want it to appear on the template.

Step 3. Check the "Mask" check box in the photo cell inspector panel and choose a mask for your photograph. For this example, the pinking shear mask will be used. You may choose to change the feathering and tooth density to your liking.

A photo cell with a Pinking Shear mask.
   


Step 4. Create a filled rectangle object by clicking the

icon in the tool palette. Drag and position the outline of the rectangle so that is on top of, and larger than, your photo cell. Use the selection "handles" on the rectangle object to fine tune its size and position. When finished, choose “Send to Back” from the Arrange menu to move the rectangle behind the photo cell.

Once the rectangle object is in the back, it can still be manipulated. Just click on the portion that is shown to select it.

Step 5. With the rectangle selected, go to the inspector panel. The Inspector panel allows you to independently modify the stroke and fill color of the selected rectangle. Click on the appropriate color swatch to change the stroke and/or fill color to the desired value.

Note: If you don't want a separate stroke color, just set the opacity to 0%. This makes it transparent.
Step 6. With the rectangle still selected, hold the “shift” key down and click on the photo cell. Both objects should now be selected ("handles" are drawn on each of them).

Step 7. From the Arrange menu choose “Alignment->Align Vertical Centers”. The two objects will now be centered perfectly with each other on their vertical axis. Repeat this step again, this time choosing “Alignment->Align Horizontal Centers” from the Arrange menu. Now both objects will be perfectly centered with each other.

Step 8. With both objects selected you can move them to the desired location on the template. You can repeat steps 2 thru 6 for as many photo cells as you would like to place on the page. You can use the "Duplicate" command in the Edit menu to make duplicate copies of the selected photo/rectangle pair, thus eliminating the need to re-create these objects.


Center the two objects using entries
in the Arrange menu.
Step 9. If you like what you see and plan to keep the new framed masked photo cell, take advantage of the "Template->Group" feature offered in the Actions menu. This will group the two objects together, making them into one object. This is advantageous if you wish to move or manipulate this object in the future and wish to keep them in relation to each other.

Note: If you make a mistake, choose “Undo” from the Edit menu or type COMMAND-Z from the keyboard.

Step 10. Save the template and you're done.


That's It!
You can always find assistance under “Help” on the main menu or by downloading the manual. If you have any problems while using our products, contact us by using our support form. If you wish to share a tip with us, post it on our comment form.