Photoshop Gallery Style Photo Frame Effect Tutorial

Gallery Style Photo Frame Layout

Learn Photoshop with Photoshop Effects Tutorials at Photoshop Essentials.com

Step 12: Increase The Thickness Of The Outer Border

Double-click on the word Stroke below the border layer in the Layers panel:

Double-clicking the word Stroke below the border layer. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com.
Any layer styles used on a layer are listed directly below it.

This re-opens the Layer Style dialog box, once again set to the Stroke options in the middle column. Let's make the outer border a bit thicker than the original one by dragging the Size slider further towards the right. Again, you can see a live preview of the stroke in the document window as you drag the slider. I'm going to increase my outer stroke size to 12 px. Leave all of the other options the same:

Increasing the size of the outer stroke. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com.
Increase the size of the second stroke for a thicker outer border.

Click OK to again exit out of the Layer Style dialog box. We now have a thin border directly around the photo area and a thicker border around the outside of it, completing our basic frame:

The basic frame is now complete. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com.
The photo area and the simple double-border frame are now in place.

Step 13: Open The Photo You Want To Display

It's time to add our photo to the photo area! Open the photo you want to display, which will appear in a separate document window. Here's the image I'll be using:

A sepia-toned photo of a train heading off into the mountains. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com.
Open the image that will be displayed in the photo area.

Step 14: Select And Copy The Image

Press Ctrl+A (Win) / Command+A (Mac) to quickly select the entire photo. Then press Ctrl+C (Win) / Command+C (Mac) to copy it to the clipboard.

Step 15: Select The Photo Area Layer

With the photo copied to the clipboard, switch back over to the original document window (the gallery photo frame layout) and click on the photo area layer in the Layers panel to select it:

Selecting the photo area layer. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com.
Select the photo area layer.

Step 16: Paste The Photo Into The Document

Press Ctrl+V (Win) / Command+V (Mac) to paste the photo we copied to the clipboard a moment ago into the document. Photoshop will automatically place the photo on its own layer directly above whatever layer was selected at the time (which is why we selected the photo area layer first), as we can see by looking in the Layers panel. Photoshop named the photo layer "Layer 1", which is fine. No need to rename it:

The photo has been added to its own layer. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com.
The photo appears on its own layer directly above the photo area layer.

If we look in the document window, though, we see that the image is currently too big to fit inside the photo area and is blocking it from view:

The photo is currently blocking the photo area from view. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com.
The photo is currently too big to fit inside the area it will be displayed in.

Step 17: Create A Clipping Mask

We need a way to make the image fit inside the photo area, and we can do that using a clipping mask. First, click on the layer that contains the photo ("Layer 1") in the Layers panel to select it. Then go up to the Layer menu at the top of the screen and choose Create Clipping Mask:

Go to Layer > Create Clipping Mask. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com.
Select the photo layer in the Layers panel, then go to Layer > Create Clipping Mask.

The photo layer will indent to the right in the Layers panel, letting us know that it's now "clipped" to the layer below it:

The Layers panel showing the clipping mask. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com.
The photo area layer is now being used as a mask for the image.

Thanks to the clipping mask, only the area of the image that falls directly above the gray photo area below it is now visible in the document window. Areas outside the boundaries of the photo area are hidden from view:

The photo is now clipped to the photo area below it. Image © 2010 Photoshop Essentials.com.
Only the area of the photo directly above the photo area below it remains visible.

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