How to Deckle Edge Photos

Applying a deckle edge around a photo will give it a new look.

With so many different design tools available for photos, it is difficult to do something unique to make your image stand out. Adding a deckle edge to your photo will give it a vintage and tattered look. Images with deckle edges display well in scrapbooks and as standalone pieces of art. Apply a deckle edge to an image with desktop publishing software.

Things You'll Need

• Desktop publishing software

Instructions

1. Open your image in a desktop publishing program (see Resources). Enlarge the canvas around the image by 10 percent to allow for space to manipulate the border of the image.

2. Draw a line completely around the image with your software's selection tool. Close the selected area of the image by selecting an end point that meets with the starting point.

3. Navigate to "Select," "Modify," "Contract." Select five to 10 pixels to work with about an eighth of an inch of the photo. Modify this based on how thick you want the border to be.

4. Navigate to "Select" and "Inverse" to let you work only with the outside edge of the photo.

5. Navigate to "Filter," "Distort," "Ocean Ripple." Adjust the strength of the effect to get the look you want.

References

• Wetzel and Company: Creating Torn Deckle Edges in Photoshop

Resources

• Microsoft Publisher 2010
• Adobe InDesign CS5.5
• Adobe Photoshop