Transparent PNG image help

b-grinner

Hi there,

Forgive me but I am not very proficient in PS. I would like to create the following and am hoping someone can provide the steps I would need to take.

I have a slide show on my homepage on my SmugMug site. I would like to change the homepage such that I have a white frame surrounding my images.
If you go to the following link you will see what I mean.
http://cyberphotogs.smugmug.com/gallery/2391752

This is nhow I want my photos to look. The issue is I need to create the white bordered frame (with signature). This frame will surround the slide show (on my home page) and my photos will show up in the middle. I am told I need to create a transparent PNG image to do this.

Can any of you PS experts out there help me out and provide me with the steps I would need to take to do this.

I would be forever grateful as this would give my site the added touch I am looking for.

Thanks and I hope I have made myself clear. Do not hestiate to reply with questions if you need more info.

...Bruce

Pupator

I use PSP, so I can't give you exact steps, but here's the general workflow I used to get a drop shadow frame on my ss images.

Create a new transparent image at whatever size you want(perhaps 35 pix larger on each side than your ss images?).

Build your frame on that image.

In PSP, you don't "save as" a transparent png, you export it. So you choose the file --> Export option.

I hope that gets you started, and maybe a PS buff will come along and give you a step by step.

ivar

If you are going to PNG route, please be aware that you can not use any links under or over that image in IE. So no clickable slidehshow for instance.

b-grinner

ivar wrote:

If you are going to PNG route, please be aware that you can not use any links under or over that image in IE. So no clickable slidehshow for instance.

Ivar,

Thanks.

That is fine. That being said can I just make the frame a jpg image instead or is transparent the only way to go?

...B

ivar

b-grinner wrote:

Ivar,

Thanks.

That is fine. That being said can I just make the frame a jpg image instead or is transparent the only way to go?

...B

You can make JPG, as long as you make sure it is under your slideshow. Have a look at Andy's frame. He used drop-shadow on the inside of his frames, you can only do that with transparency If you don't need that, your fine with JPG.

gus

ivar wrote:

you can only do that with transparency.

Im probably missing the moment here but h o w do you make the transparency for this action ? Is it done in a similar fasion to a personal watermark ?

ivar

gus wrote:

Im probably missing the moment here but h o w do you make the transparency for this action ? Is it done in a similar fasion to a personal watermark ?

Yep, start with a transparent background, draw the frame you want, and add a dropshadow. Save it with transparency, and your set

b-grinner

ivar wrote:

You can make JPG, as long as you make sure it is under your slideshow. Have a look at Andy's frame. He used drop-shadow on the inside of his frames, you can only do that with transparency If you don't need that, your fine with JPG.

Hi Ivar,


Thanks for the comment. However I believe my frame would have drop shadow on the outside of the photo which would not require Transparent. Can you confirm. See example of what I want here.

I look forward to your reply.

...Bruce