How to Do Everything With Your Scanner- P57 doc

Add Frames and Borders to Scanned Photos No one knows who started the custom of framing pictures, but adding just the right frame or border is an act of artistry in itself.. Using PhotoS

you create a cute greeting card for your mother, and a week later need to create one for your boss Simply open the file in which you’ve saved mom’s card and modify the text and images as necessary to create a proper acknowledgment for your boss You can open the file and modify it again and again in the future as the birthdays of other friends and family members come up

Add Frames and Borders to Scanned Photos

No one knows who started the custom of framing pictures, but adding just the right frame or border is an act of artistry in itself Image-editing software allows you take this creative task to a new technological level

Using PhotoSuite to Create Frames and Borders

PhotoSuite allows you to create two distinct types of frames and borders:

Templates that look like a frame Since these are templates, you can’t resize them You need to resize your photos to fit into them The PhotoSuite program CD offers dozens of frames from which you can choose The PhotoSuite content CD that comes with the program offers more than 100 additional frame templates

Borders that can be resized Borders are frame-like effects that can be resized

to fit snugly around photos of any dimension

Working with PhotoSuite Frames

Generally you want your frame to enhance rather than overpower your picture, like the framing job shown in Figure 15-2 Other times it’s the frame that gives the picture impact, as in Figure 15-3

To access and use a PhotoSuite frame template, follow these steps:

1. Click the large Compose button on the Welcome screen, or the Compose button

on the Navigation bar The Navigation bar is located below the Menu bar

2. Click Frames & Edges on the Activity panel displayed, then choose a category

of frame or border types from the drop-down menu on the left side of the screen A number of layout templates are displayed in the work area, as shown

in Figure 15-4

3. Double-click the frame template you want to use An enlarged version of the frame appears in the work area

FIGURE 15-2 A frame that complements a scanned photo

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FIGURE 15-4 PhotoSuite allows you to select from dozens of frame templates

4. Click the Add Photos button, then the Computer button Browse for the photos you want to add Use your mouse to resize, rotate, and reposition your photos within the template

5. When you’re finished, click the Return button to return to the previous menu

When working with a PhotoSuite frame template, adjust the size of a photo by dragging the size handles located along the perimeter of its bounding box To widen or lengthen a photo, drag the appropriate middle handles To enlarge or reduce a photo proportionately, drag the appropriate corner handles.

Adding a PhotoSuite Border to a Photo

PhotoSuite borders are a sort of one-size-fits-all frame They have an advantage over frames because they shrink or expand if you resize your photo To use and access a PhotoSuite border, follow these steps:

1. After you have opened the photo you want to use in PhotoSuite, click the Compose button on the Navigation bar, directly below the Menu bar, then the Adjust Objects button on the Activity panel

2. Click the Add Borders button

3. Click the photo on your work area so it’s enclosed in a bounding box

4. In the dialog box on the left side of the screen, choose a border category, as shown in Figure 15-5 The border styles contained within the category are displayed

5. Drag a border from the Activity panel to the object or photo, and click Return when you’re finished

FIGURE 15-5 PhotoSuite allows you to drag and drop a decorative

border onto your photo

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To remove a border that doesn’t look just right, click your photo, then click the Remove button on the Activity panel To adjust a border’s width, select the object or photo the border currently encloses, and adjust the Width slider to make the border thinner or thicker.

Frames and Borders Using Other Image-Editing Programs

If you’re using a program other than PhotoSuite, you can generally find out which frame templates and border features are available by searching the keyword “frame”

in the Help menu of your image-editing program

PhotoDeluxe does not include frame templates; rather, the manufacturers of this software recommend that you create your own photo frame by using the tips and procedures described in the next section

Creating Your Own Frame or Border Effect Without a Template

If your image-editing software doesn’t include frame or border effects, don’t despair It’s easy to create your own frames and borders using the two simple techniques described in this section

Make a Frame by Layering

Many image-editing programs allow you to layer photos and backgrounds on top of each other and to add effects By centering the photo you want to frame over an image you’ve scanned or imported, you can create an interesting framing effect, as I’ve done

in Figure 15-6, in which I’ve layered a scanned photo over another copy of the same image, to create a dramatic frame without the use of my template

To accomplish a frame or border effect by layering as I’ve just described:

1. Scan or import the photo or image you want to use as background into your image-editing software as an open project

2. Scan or import the photo you want to frame as an object on top of the image

in Step 1, and resize or adjust the photo until it appears properly centered over the image you’re using as a border

3. Save the newly framed photo in a project file