CREATING DECORATIVE PHOTOGRAPHIC EDGES

STEP 1: Go to the File menu and Open the image you want to apply a decorative edge to. Under the Image menu, select Mode and in the pop-up menu that appears, make sure there is a checkmark next to RGB (for color images) or Grayscale (for black & white images). If there is a checkmark next to Indexed Color, CMYK or any of the other modes in the menu, convert to RGB (or Grayscale for black & white images) by scrolling down the list, and clicking on the mode you want.

STEP 2: Hit the D key to restore the Foreground color to black and the Background color to white (the defaults).

STEP 3: Double-click the Standard Mode icon in the toolbox:

This will bring up the Quick Mask Options dialog box. Make sure the Selected Areas box is checked (NOT Masked Areas) and click OK:

STEP 4: Use the Rectangular Marquee tool to select an inside portion of the image.

The Marquee tool is located at the top left corner of the toolbox. Just click once on the Marquee tool icon or hit the M key to select it. When you click and hold on the Marquee tool icon in the toolbox, notice that four more tools emerge, including the Elliptical Marquee tool which can be used to create circular or oval selections:

With the Rectangular or Elliptical Marquee tool, drag across your image while holding down the mouse button to select an inside portion of the image, and then release the mouse button. Your selection will be surrounded by flickering dashed lines (also referred to as marching ants). If you're not happy with your selection, just click once with the mouse anywhere inside the image, the dashed lines will disappear, and try again. You should aim for something that looks like this:

STEP 5: Click once on the Quick Mask Mode icon in the toolbox (or just hit the Q key). The selected area (your masked area) will turn red:

STEP 6: Apply the diffuse filter to the mask:
Filter menu > Stylize > Diffuse

In the dialog box that appears, make sure the Mode is set to Normal. Click OK.

Notice that the edges of your mask are now a bit ragged:

STEP 7: Return to Standard Mode by clicking on the Standard Mode icon in the toolbox or hitting the Q key. The red mask becomes a selection boundary of flickering dashed lines.

STEP 8: You now want to inverse the selection so that the selected area becomes the outer edge of the graphic that you will fill with a background color:
From the Select menu, choose Inverse.

STEP 9: Delete this outer edge and fill it with a Background color of your choice. First pick a Background color that the image will blend into. For example, I wanted the image to blend into the background of this Web page so I chose the same color as the page's background color.

(If you are unsure about how to pick a Background color and use the Color Picker, read the section called Using the Color Picker.)

Fill the selected area with your Background color: from the Edit menu, select Cut. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Command X (Control X for Windows) or just hit the Delete key.

STEP 10: Deselect to get rid of the selection boundary:
Select menu > None
or use the keyboard shortcut: Command D (Control D for Windows)

You should end up with a photographic edge that looks something like this:

YOU CAN GET DIFFERENT PHOTOGRAPHIC EDGES BY REPLACING STEP 6 WITH ANY OF THE FOLLOWING FILTER EFFECTS:

	STEP 6: Filter menu > Blur > Gaussian Blur Radius=5 Filter menu > Pixelate > Crystallize Cell Size=5
	STEP 6: Filter menu > Blur > Gaussian Blur Radius=5 Filter menu > Brush Strokes > Sprayed Strokes Stroke Length: 5 Spray Radius: 5 Stroke Direction: Right Diagonal
	STEP 6: Filter menu > Blur > Gaussian Blur Radius=5 Filter menu > Distort > Ripple Amount: 100% Size: Large
	STEP 6: Filter menu > Blur > Gaussian Blur Radius=5 Filter menu > Distort > Glass Distortion: 3 Smoothness: 3 Texture: Frosted Scaling: 100% Do NOT check the Invert box.
	STEP 6: Filter menu > Blur > Gaussian Blur Radius=5 Filter menu > Texture > Craquelure Crack Spacing: 12 Crack Depth: 6 Crack Brightness: 9
	STEP 6: Filter menu > Blur > Gaussian Blur Radius=5 Filter menu > Texture > Grain Intensity: 61 Contrast: 45 Grain Type: Enlarged
	STEP 6: Filter menu > Blur > Gaussian Blur Radius=5 Filter menu > Brush Strokes > Spatter Spray Radius: 4 Smoothness: 5
	STEP 6: Filter menu > Blur > Gaussian Blur Radius=5 Filter menu > Texture > Grain Intensity: 50 Contrast: 45 Grain Type: Stippled
	STEP 6: Filter menu > Blur > Gaussian Blur Radius=5 Filter menu > Texture > Grain Intensity: 50 Contrast: 45 Grain Type: Stippled Filter menu > Brush Strokes > Cross Hatch Stroke Length: 9 Sharpness: 2 Strength: 2
	STEP 6: Filter menu > Pixelate > Color Halftone Max. Radius: 6 Channel 1: 108 Channel 2: 162 Channel 3: 90 Channel 4: 45
	STEP 6: Filter menu > Blur > Gaussian Blur Radius=5 Filter menu > Sketch > Water Paper Fiber Length: 10 Brightness: 60 Contrast: 80