Borders add a nice accent to existing photographs.
Borders are a standard enhancement in professional photography studios. You can have black and white or colored borders added to an existing photo. The edited photo is then reprinted. But intermediate to advanced graphics software lets you achieve the same effect on your computer. Resizing a photo to fit inside borders can be tricky. For best results, use transparencies and layers.
Instructions
1. Scan or copy the picture to your computer. Save it as a high resolution image. If you are not sure scan a picture, refer to your printer/scanner's owner manual for directions. Use the software included with the scanner.
2. Download a free picture border from the Internet. Choose a high quality image that has the same shape as the picture. Generally, the larger the file size, the better its quality. If you are skilled in computer graphics, you can also make your own picture border.
3. Open the picture border in an image editor that can create layers and transparent areas in an image. Examples are Gimp, Photoshop and the online editor Pixlr. Select the display area inside the picture border. Delete that selection or make it transparent.
4. Open the picture for which you will print a border. Enlarge its canvas or paper size. Make it large enough for the picture border to fit in later.
5. Go back to the picture border. Select the entire border with the selection tool (usually a rectangular dotted line icon), copy and paste into the open picture file. The border object should appear in its own layer. Resize the border object to fit in the canvas. You will be able to see the picture behind it through the transparent area in the center.
6. Move and resize the picture until it fits exactly inside the border. The picture must fit within the border limits as if it were a framed photograph.
7. Save your work when you are happy with it. Look for "File" and then click "Print" to print the framed picture to your printer.
