Annoying Photoshop Question:

[Tomm]

I am pretty proficient in using photoshop but one thing really bugs me. I'm on about CS2 by the way. This is hard to explain, but I'll try my best.

If I want to draw a border (eg around my photo) I want a line ~ 20 pixels in from the outside of the image. So, the way I would do it would be Select all > Select : Modify : Contract (20px or whatever) > Edit : Stroke.

But it doesn't let you do this. For some reason, when you 'select all' (or draw a marquee around the whole image), some of the options (expand, contract, stroke) are greyed out. I can't see the reason for this, or even a way around it.

What I've been doing is to just use the marquee tool to draw a box freehand which is obviously a pretty rubbish way to get an even border. Any suggestions?

[Concussion]

What I'd do is, Image>Canvas Size, add 20pix in each box, Canvas Extension Colour `Black`etc. (loads of options in there)

Is that any help/is that what you mean?

[ManxTrialSpaz]

On PS7 you can use the rectangle tool, put it to fixed size, then set a size 20px smaller than the picture, resulting in a border.

[Tomm]

Yeah I could do that but it's a pretty long-winded way of just getting a rectangle. It must be easier than this.

What I'd do is, Image>Canvas Size, add 20pix in each box, Canvas Extension Colour `Black`etc. (loads of options in there)

Is that any help/is that what you mean?

Nah, I know you can do that but it's not quite what I'm after. Thanks though.

[Haz]

I personally don't bother to select anything, once I have flattened the layers, I just select the image layer and stroke that.

That assumes you are not trying to stroke the background, if you open an image, it's opened as the background by default, if that's the case, duplicate the layer, and stroke the new layer.

EDIT: To add the stroke, instead of modify I use the layer styles tool, at the bottom of the layers window.

Edited April 13, 2007 by Haz

[poopipe]

select all

select > border - set it to 20 px

invert selection

tada!

probably too late now

[JonMack]

Haz's way is good if you dont mind losing 20px off the edge of the image (which from reading your inital question again, I assume you dont).

Select the image layer in the layers pallet (if youre just opening the JPG up straight away double click the layer called Background (which will be locked) to turn it into a normal editable layer, or duplicate it (Apple + J) like Haz said), click layer effects (at the bottom of the layer pallet window) > stroke > size: 20px, position: inside, color: black

That should do it.

(When writing that last bit after everything I wanted to put a semi-colon. Damn CSS!!)

I'll get *** sent out to you ASAP by the way man, been in work all week havnt had a chance to buy any DVD-Rs!!

EDIT:

Another way to do it is...

EasyBatchPhoto - http://www.yellowmug.com/easybatchphoto/

Create a new photoshop image the size you want your final photos to be.

Make a 20px border, with the middle transparent

Save it as a PNG

Open EasyBatchPhoto

Set the watermark to your photoshop created PNG.

Set EBP to resize all your images to the size of that PNG

Drag all the images you want to process into EBP

Done.

(I wrote those instructions off the top of my head so if theyre slightly wrong, dont blame me! I'm pretty sure you know what I'm trying to say anyway)

Edited April 13, 2007 by MonsterJ

[poopipe]

MonsterJs first is a good-un. it's even quicker than mine.

that second one sounds like a load of work for something you can already do in photoshop with recorded actions.

[JonMack]

Believe it or not the second one is actually easier, you only have to make the photoshop document once, then once youve loaded it into EBP as a watermark you can save that preset, then it just resizes and watermarks your images, you can drop in a folder of 5000 in there and it will chug through them all 1 by 1 and you dont even have to press anything.

Whereas with photoshop actions I believe you do. I've never found an easy way of batch processing anyway.

Then get yourself a flickr account, and Flickr Uploader, and start putting them online!!

[Phatmike]

Believe it or not the second one is actually easier, you only have to make the photoshop document once, then once youve loaded it into EBP as a watermark you can save that preset, then it just resizes and watermarks your images, you can drop in a folder of 5000 in there and it will chug through them all 1 by 1 and you dont even have to press anything.

Whereas with photoshop actions I believe you do. I've never found an easy way of batch processing anyway.

Then get yourself a flickr account, and Flickr Uploader, and start putting them online!!

Nah, you can do batch processing with PS!

Just record what you want to do as an action, then file > automate > batch process.

[Tomm]

All good suggestions, but none of them quite get what I'm after. I know this is a bit pedantic, but this is the kind of border I want. A few pixels inside, with more image beyond the border.

EDIT: Rubbish example because outside the border just looks black. But it is actually part of the picture.

[Concussion]

Figured out what you meant... dunno why you can't contract 20pix?

Well, best I can do is: make a new layer above image> fill with black> Maybe knock the oppacity down a touch to see orig pic> Transform it Ctrl-T with dimentions locked together to the desired size.

Select the contracted box, maybe Hold Ctrl + click the pic of the black box in your Layers pallet to select it> Stroke it as usual on the bottom pic layer or a new one above it to adjust? Not perfect though!

...save as action maybe?

Edited April 14, 2007 by Concussion

[JonMack]

In that case make a photoshop image however many pixels smaller than the image size you want, make the border, save it as a PNG and then either do the EBP thing or do the Photoshop batch processing thing to put it on all your images.

I find EBP easier cos... I just do really.

[poopipe]

for that my way is perfect

select all

select > border - set it to 20 px

invert selection

stroke the selection

save it as an action, batch process and you're sorted.