Brush Border: Photo Mask Tutorial



Creating attractive photo borders can be an easy (and fun) task when using a photo mask.  In this short tutorial I will show you how to give your photos a brush-like border.  I’ve also included 4 free high-resolution masks that I painted and scanned.

Choose the image that you want to apply the mask to and make any cropping adjustments. I’ll be using this photo:

Add a layer mask.  The layer should reveal two thumbnails like below.

Choose the mask you will be working with.  Don’t worry if the mask isn’t the same size as the image we will adjust the size later.  Select>All and then Copy.  I’ll be using this mask.

Once back in the image you will be using, Alt Click (Windows) or Option Click (Mac) on the mask layer.  Your image should disappear to reveal a white background.  Now Paste the mask.  At this point, you can resize the mask image to the proper dimensions.

Once you have the mask sized properly, invert the mask layer by choosing Image > Adjustments > Invert.

To make sure that your image shows through the mask clearly, adjust the levels to make the mask pure black and pure white. Choose Image > Adjustments > Levels and pull in the right and left sliders like below.

The last step is to Alt Click (Windows) or Option Click (Mac) on the image layer to reveal your newly cropped image!

FINAL IMAGE

Download 4 Free Masks by clicking here.



5 Responses to “Brush Border: Photo Mask Tutorial”

1. marissa8 says:

   November 15, 2009 at 11:17 pm

   ok thanks amber i will check it out …
2. Amber says:

   November 15, 2009 at 10:56 pm

   Hi Marissa8,

   Unfortunately, I am not familiar with Photoshop Elements 6 so I’m not sure if this technique would work. I did a quick search and found this tutorial: http://www.alibony.com/pse/020708layer-mask.html which is about creating layer masks with PSE6. I’m not sure if this will help you, but maybe it will lead you in the right direction. Good luck!
3. marissa8 says:

   November 15, 2009 at 9:05 pm

   Hi can i do this with my PSE6? i cant seem to make it work :o(
4. Amber says:

   September 8, 2009 at 1:46 pm

   @Bish: Well done! I’m glad the tutorial was useful!

   -Amber
5. David Bishop says:

   September 8, 2009 at 1:35 pm

   Thanks for this feature, I am now a masking god !

   Cheers

   Bish