Digital Mattes and Framing (Borders)

DRT-MaverickDRT-Maverick Registered Users Posts: 476 Major grins
edited September 20, 2005 in Finishing School
I'm in a bit of a jam here, I don't have any good ideas for a border for my photos that I want to show online and such. They just don't feel complete without a border, but the borders I try to make don't feel complete either. Any tips or ideas that might be able to help?
Pentax K20D 14.6mp Body : Pentax *ist D 6.1mp Body : Pentax ZX10 Body : 180mm Sigma Macro EX lens : 18-55mm Pentax SMC DA Lens : 28-200mm Sigma Lens : 50-500mm Sigma APO DG EX lens : Pentax AF-500FTZ flash : Sigma EX 2x Teleconverter.

Comments

  • micklemickle Registered Users Posts: 22 Big grins
    edited September 18, 2005
    DRT-Maverick wrote:
    I'm in a bit of a jam here, I don't have any good ideas for a border for my photos that I want to show online and such. They just don't feel complete without a border, but the borders I try to make don't feel complete either. Any tips or ideas that might be able to help?
    If you are using Photoshop CS or CS2 then try the framing script in my sig.
    Mike

    Framing Script HERE
  • ruttrutt Registered Users Posts: 6,511 Major grins
    edited September 18, 2005
    Less is more, IMHO. I know Andy frames, but many fine photographers don't. Check out Fred Miranda's own work, for example.
    If not now, when?
  • ginger_55ginger_55 Registered Users Posts: 8,416 Major grins
    edited September 18, 2005
    DRT-Maverick wrote:
    I'm in a bit of a jam here, I don't have any good ideas for a border for my photos that I want to show online and such. They just don't feel complete without a border, but the borders I try to make don't feel complete either. Any tips or ideas that might be able to help?
    Scott Kelby's latest: book for CS2. It has a great chapter on borders/frames. That is what I have been using.

    Then there is the old standby that Andy uses. Plus, using "canvas" to just make it up with your own colors. I would try to get your hands on the CS2 book.

    I want to go to the beach tonight. Might change my mind, but if I do go to the beach, I can't work on a photo w a different frame until the day after tomorrow.

    They are going to cut my face up for a small skin ca tomorrow. And that is not the bad part, the bad part is that it is going to be done in the hospital and no matter how much I kick and scream (and some of you know I can do that well), they are still talking sedation (you know shut the patient up and keep her immobile). And it is an afternoon thing. No morning food/liquid and I think it is going to mess up my whole day.

    Good luck on the frame. The most effective, in lots of cases, I have found is 0.5 percent on canvas. Go to canvas, click on percent/inches, click on the percent. Over on the right write .5, make sure the bottom of the color thing is white (the color thing is off to the left in the tool thing). Also at the bottom of the box from Canvas, make sure the correct things are checked. A help search might tell you what they are. Or you can try until you get it correct. I think it is just checking the box.

    That is the least offensive to everyone, IMO. It does separate the photo from the black background here, but the purists don't like a lot of gimmicky backgrounds, so they are happy, too.

    I like backgrounds of some sort, usually, and am game to try them all.

    ginger (I didn't realize the chief purist was writing right above me, I think that is funny!)
    After all is said and done, it is the sweet tea.
  • ruttrutt Registered Users Posts: 6,511 Major grins
    edited September 19, 2005
    The Chief Purist also thinks this is funny.

    Seriously, here is my reasoning. Leave the framing to the framers. If you print, you definitly don't want a frame (unless you are making posters like Ginger is; then it works for your dorm room with thumb tacks and no frame.)
    If you don't print, you want to use every available pixel for your image, not wasting anything on frame. Further, the browser itself adds some kind of framing of it's own as well as a background. If you do frame, it may or may not work with joe-random-browser.

    So, in print and in a browser, my logic leads to no frame. Spend your energy on making images which don't require frames to floor your viewers.
    If not now, when?
  • ginger_55ginger_55 Registered Users Posts: 8,416 Major grins
    edited September 19, 2005
    I don't frame at FM either, and it works well there. Here I feel the atmosphere is looser, I feel free (er) to experiment.

    I like the frames, but you can't order a print of a frame, so I have to have these in all variations. Same with the posters, etc. I wish there were a way to order posters on smugmug, haven't noticed one, yet. I might be apt to do that, depending on the price. Cheap paper would be fine.

    "When I get to heaven", I will get me some photos of angels and some gilt/gold from the streets. Bring them back here and plaster them all on my frames.:D

    ginger
    After all is said and done, it is the sweet tea.
  • ginger_55ginger_55 Registered Users Posts: 8,416 Major grins
    edited September 19, 2005
    DRT-Maverick wrote:
    I'm in a bit of a jam here, I don't have any good ideas for a border for my photos that I want to show online and such. They just don't feel complete without a border, but the borders I try to make don't feel complete either. Any tips or ideas that might be able to help?

    Also, a very few of mine have felt very complete without a border of any kind. Don't know if they are better photographs, or just how the colors fall.

    Others of my photos do feel like they are going to slide off the page and into cyberspace w/o some skin of some sort. Most are in between somewhere.

    When you get one complete w/o any frame, it will feel good, if you are like me. Probably a bit of purist lurking in me, too.

    ginger
    After all is said and done, it is the sweet tea.
  • GraphyFotozGraphyFotoz Registered Users Posts: 2,267 Major grins
    edited September 20, 2005
    Hey DRT
    mickle wrote:
    If you are using Photoshop CS or CS2 then try the framing script in my sig.
    Mike's framing script is GREAT! I give it a thumb.gifthumb.gif .

    BUT.......as a rule with a serious amateur or professional photographer frames are taboo. Less is more! Frames are know to be camouflage to make a bad photo look good. (according to professionals)
    For me they are nice for general online sharing and gives ya a place to display exif info.
    Canon 60D | Nikon Cooloix P7700
    Manfrotto Mono | Bag- LowePro Slingshot 100AW

    http://www.graphyfotoz.smugmug.com/
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