Framed Picture Within a Picture :: PSE Tutorial

This tutorial is a fun way to add some interest to a photo that can then be used in a layout to really make it interesting.  It’s also a great way to bring to focus an area of the photo that you really want to stand out.  Here’s how to do it!

The first thing you will want to do is open the photo you want to work with.

1. Press CTRL+J to duplicate the background photo layer.
2. Click the eye on the new layer to temporarily turn that layer off.
3. Click on the background layer (layer 1) to make it the active layer.

Click on the foreground color square and the color picker will come up.

Use the dropper to select a color from the photo.  I used a kind of gold yellow selected from the ice cream cone.  Click okay to select the color.

Select the Rounded Rectangle tool from the Custom Shape Tool.  Drag the shape around the area you want to select.  The area will be filled with the foreground color you choose and cover the area you want to feature.

Click on the original photo (background layer) and make sure it is the active layer.

Select the Rectangle tool from the Custom Shape Tool.  Drag the shape around the area you want to select, making it slightly larger than the rounded rectangle you drew a while ago.  The area will be filled with the foreground color you choose. 

It will appear to cover up the rounded rectangle, even though it’s actually below the rounded rectangle.  This is because they are the same color.

Now click on the duplicate photo layer (layer 1) to select it and click on the box to the left of it to turn the eye back on to make it visible.

This will cover up the rounded rectangle shape and the rectangle shape.

Press ALT and click between on the top photo layer and the rounded rectangle layer on the layer panel.  This will make a clipping mask.  This combines the top photo layer and the rounded rectangle layer together and you can now see the frame.

Select the two shape layers by holding down CTRL while you select each of the 2 layers.

Select the MOVE tool and make sure to check the “Show Bounding Box”.

Grab any of the little handles around the frame and tilt it or resize it to how you want it to look.  This will not effect the photo, just the frame.  Click the green check mark to finalize your adjustments.

Add a drop shadow to both of the shape layers.  I like to use the drop shadows byMiss Tiina .  (Miss Tiina’s drop shadows do not appear to be available any longer, but you can use any drop shadow you like.)  Don’t add the drop shadow to either of the photo layers.

Now open up some sort of paper fastener from your digital scrapbooking supplies.  I’m using this one from Rachael’s Scraps.

Select the top photo layer in the layer panel.

Drag the paper fastener over onto the photo and adjust it to however you like it best.  Add a drop shadow to the paper fastener element.  Again, I use the ones from Miss Tiina.

Now we really want to make the photo pop.  Select the 1st photo layer (Background) to make it active.  Then click the little 2 toned circle at the top of the layers panel.  This is the “Create Adjustment Layer.”

When you click on the “Create Adjustment Layer” a list will appear.  From that list click on “Hue/Saturation”.

The Hue/Saturation adjustment box will pop up.

Play around with the settings to change the background layer.  I like to just adjust the Lightness as this really makes the part of the photo in the frame really pop.

Here’s what the finalized photo looks like:

And here are a few more different options to give you some ideas on how to make the photos really pop.

Black & White with selected color

Using the Sugar Cookie photo action by Paint the Moon on the Background layer

Using the Simply Vintage photo action by Coffee Shop.

Enjoy playing around with your photos, there are just so many fun things you can do to them that will really bring them into focus in your layouts.  Don’t be afraid to experiment!