How do you create an artistic border?

Creating artistic borders

Effects, Tips & Tricks
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Liz Lang from California, USA, using Photoshop CS with Mac OSX, writes in with:

[Quote:] I am trying to create a boarder on Photoshop that looks like a hand drawn charcoal boarder (but must be repeated thru out the piece) to frame a number of photos in a larger montage. What is the easiest way to get this effect? There is a definite black line boarder, but in the 2 inch or so space between this line and the photo, the filling is random, or brush stroked, streaky. What is the best way to get this effect?

Reply:

Many times people ask questions like this which we really can't answer because we have no way of knowing what the specifics of the project are. There are any number of ways to achieve this effect, but it's ultimately up to the artist to make it work, or send a specific example that we can diagnose.

The easiest way to get what this patient is requesting is to draw it. Plain and simple. Use an artistic brush and begin drawing. Use any of the artistic filters to then modify and change it.

Because there are way far more people posting special effects to web sites than people with actual talent, the new or uninitiated Photoshop user is led to believe there's a filter for anything and everything -- and that even the most complicated and random effects can be generated by a simple click. Which, of course is NOT TRUE.

There are shortcuts you could use... like drawing a collection of "typical" charcoal strokes, the duplicating, stepping and repeating, twisting, rotating and generally transforming them until they 'look' random -- and give the impression that an artist randomly drew them. That's one way. But if the photos in the montage are different sizes, and to be put together so they 'fit' into an overall image, really the only way to get the borders she describes is to do them all --- lovingly --- by hand.

And, when you do so, the finished product will be far better, and far more meaningful than you thought.

Artists like Bert Monroy don't come very often. But we can all aspire to strive for his level of excellence. If you want to really learn and expand your talent, then pick up Photoshop Studio or Bert Monroy: Photorealistic Techniques with Photoshop & Illustrator, (Digital Masters series); both by Bert Monroy. THEN you'll be on your way.
KEYWORDS . . .

Comments

[JBudai]

I would like to create images with round corners. I used the rounded rectangle tool and sized the corners, then used the drag method to select the area. It immediately became the color of the foreground and there I'm stuck. What do I do next?

[heicaGakcew]

Promising costs nothing, it's the delivering that kills you.

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[Photoshop Tutorials by Aaron]

to make borders alot of times I find it is easier to just scan in raw materials, like paper or fabric. This give me much more of an authentic edge. I use some of the selection tools and path functions to get good selections and then I save the paths and selections as a mask. That's just my personal way of doing it, it seem fast and I get good variety.

[Umar]

i found second one effective i tried it works! i have same question but un answered first post i didnt undersand i am not too well in using brushes. and also dont know how to use artistic brush too. i need to know how to create or get decorative page borders ?

[Thereisnospoon]

1. Open any image>
2. Make a selection using the “rectangular
Marquee Tool” (M)
3. In your layer pallet> add a layer mask
4. Then go to Filter>Brush Strokes>Sprayed Strokes
and play with the stroke length etc. You can
apply other styles too.
I hope this answers your question or at least gives you a point start.
Too easy.