How to Fill a Border in Photoshop
Borders can help to define and emphasize a photograph. While framed photographs usually have a mat---the fabric, paper or cardboard border around a photograph inside the frame---digital photographs are usually surrounded only by white space. Adding a border to your photograph can help to enhance the contrast and separate the photograph from the rest of the elements on the screen. There are two popular methods for adding borders to digital photos in Adobe Photoshop, each with its own advantages. The method you choose will be dependent on the look you are trying to achieve.
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Instructions
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Stroke
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1
Open the image you wish to add a border to in Photoshop by clicking on the "File" menu and choosing the "Open" option.
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2
Select "Canvas Size" in the "Image" drop-down menu. Decide how wide of a border you would like to add to the image, multiply that number by two and add that number to both the height and width boxes. For instance, if you would like to add a 20 pixel border to a 800 x 600 pixel image, add 40 to both dimensions for a width of 840 and a height of 640. Click "OK."
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3
Go to the toolbar and select the drop-down menu "Select" and the option "All." This will select the entire image.
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4
Go to the toolbar and select the drop-down menu "Edit" and the option "Stroke."
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5
Enter the width of your border. You can enter the exact size you chose in Step 2, or you can select a slightly smaller size in order to offset your border from the image itself. Enter that width in the box labeled "Width." Choose the color of your border by clicking the "Color" button. Make sure the "Inside" ratio box is checked, and then click "OK."
Selection
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6
Open the image you wish to add a border to in Photoshop by clicking on the "File" menu and choosing the "Open" option.
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7
Go to the toolbar and select the drop-down menu "Select" and the option "All." This will select the entire image.
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8
Go to the toolbar and select the drop-down menu "Select," the option "Modify," and then the option "Border."
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9
Enter your preferred width for your border in the dialogue box that appears and click the "OK" button. This will return a selection of just the border of your image at your chosen width.
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10
Select the Paint Bucket Tool. Click in the selection at the border to fill the selected area with color.
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11
Use the "Blending Mode" options to create additional effects with your border. For example, chose the "Lighten" option so that the underlying area of the photo shows through but is tinted with your chosen border color.
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Tips & Warnings
Add artistic effects to your border by selectively coloring or erasing areas. For instance, you can create a rainbow border by using the Paintbrush tool to paint in different colors in your border selection.
Use the "Layer Style" tool to add even more artistic effects to your border. For instance, you can add a drop shadow by selecting the "Drop Shadow" option, or add a 3-dimensional effect with the "Bevel and Emboss" option.
Adding a border may make your image bigger than you need it to be. If your image is now too large after increasing the size of the canvas, shrink down the image by going to "Image" and selecting the option "Image Size." You can enter your desired dimensions in the dialogue box to shrink the image back to its original size.
