Written By Steve Patterson

In this Photoshop tutorial, we'll learn how to create a simple gallery-style photo frame layout, complete with a text caption below it, as if the photo was on display in an art gallery. This can be a very classy and elegant way to present your work, and creating the layout is easy. Here's what the final result will look like (of course, your photo and text caption will be different):

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Let's get started!

Step 1: Create A New Document

Let's begin by creating a new document. Go up to the File menu in the Menu Bar along the top of the screen and choose New:

This opens Photoshop's New Document dialog box. I'm going to want my final layout to print as an 8x10 in landscape orientation, so I'll enter a value of 10 inches for the Width and 8 inches for the Height (make sure you set the measurement type to inches, not pixels). The dimensions you'll need for your layout may be different. Since I'll want it to print in high quality, I'll enter a Resolution value of 240 pixels/inch. Finally, set the Background Contents to White, which will fill the background of the new document with white, even though we'll be changing it in a moment (this just keeps us on the same page):

Click OK to close out of the dialog box. A new document filled with white will appear on your screen.

Step 2: Fill The New Document With Black

With our new document created, let's fill it with black, which will become the background color of the layout. Go up to the Edit menu at the top of the screen and choose Fill:

This brings up the Fill dialog box. Set the Use option at the top of the dialog box to Black:

Click OK to exit out of the dialog box, and Photoshop fills the document with solid black:

Step 3: Add A New Blank Layer And Name It "Photo Area"

Let's add a new blank layer to our document by clicking on the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel:

This adds a new blank layer, which Photoshop automatically names "Layer 1", above the Background layer in the Layers panel. Double-click directly on the name "Layer 1" and change the name to photo area. Press Enter (Win) / Return (Mac) when you're done to accept the name change:

Step 4: Drag A Selection Around The Main Photo Area

We need to draw a selection around the area the photo will be displayed in. Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool from the Tools panel:

With the Rectangular Marquee Tool selected, the Options Bar along the top of the screen will change to show options specifically for this tool. I'm going to design my layout to display a photo with a standard 4x6 aspect ratio, in landscape orientation. To do that, I'll first change the Style option in the Options Bar to Fixed Ratio, then I'll enter 6 for the Width and 4 for the Height (the aspect ratio you'll want for your photo area may be different):

Then, I'll click about an inch or so away from the top left corner of the document and drag out a selection which will become the area where the photo is displayed. As I drag, Photoshop locks the selection to the aspect ratio I set in the Options Bar:

Step 5: Fill The Selection With Gray

With the selection in place, go up to the Edit menu and choose Fill once again. This time, when the Fill dialog box appears, set the Use option to 50% Gray:

Click OK, and Photoshop fills the photo area with gray. Press Ctrl+D (Win) / Command+D (Mac) to remove the selection outline:

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