Matte with Emboss Edged Display Image

 

In doing virtual mattes and frames in PWP, there are some general things to keep in mind in order for them to look natural upon moderately close scrutiny and to preserve the display image’s resolution:

  1. To start out… go look at a framed/matted print…  really look at it.  Notice the cut edges: are they hard or soft, is there an outline?; the shading across the whole frame/matte; how shadows appear at the changes in topography (vertical heights/depths); the mitered joints of the frame and matte… etc.
  2. Edges generally are soft, sometimes with darker or lighter outline at the edge transition….
  3. Expanses of a solid color have noise and sometimes texture….
  4. The whole framed/matted print has general shading across it surface from one side or corner to another…
  5. IMPORTANT:  If any re-sizing of the display image is performed in the PWP’s Resize, Composite-alignment, or Layout transforms, this image will change from the original [de-grade slightly].  The solution is to start with the display image’s original pixel dimensions [cropped to the desired display image ratio, 8x10r, 5x7r, 4x6r, etc] and work outwards based upon ratios of the photo paper size, letting the printer driver do the re-sizing to fit the paper.  To accomplish this can be tedious and a brain teaser…. Keeping a calculator handy and being mindful of a consistent pixel/inch [I generally use a dpi or ppi = 200] is more than helpful but necessary!

 

The following workflow is suitable for 1600x2000 pixel display image [8x10 inch ratio at 200 ppi] to be printed on 8.5x11 inch photo paper using the Emboss transform as an image edge:

 

Phase A: adding an Emboss edge to the image.  Unless otherwise noted, transform settings are their default settings.

  1. Image1 = the display image with an added colored [single or double] border or none.
  2. Click on Image1, open the Crop/Add Border transform, selecting Margins = 2, Borders = 2, Border = 12.5% gray, Softness = 0.20%, click OK creating Image2.
  3. Click on Image2, open Mask tool, select All, Invert, OK, creating Mask1a.
  4. Click on Mask1a, open Crop/Add Border transform, selecting Borders = 20, Border = white, Softness = 0%, click OK creating Mask 1b.  Click on Mask1a and delete.
  5. Click on Image2, open Crop/Add Border transform, selecting Borders = 20, Border = white, Softness = 0%, click OK creating Image3.
  6. Click on Image3, open the Emboss transform, add Mask1b setting wht = 87.5 & blk = 0, selecting R = 10, H = 1, click OK creating Image4.
  7. Click on Image4, open the Blur transform, add Mask1b setting wht = 100 & blk = 0, selecting Guassian, click OK creating Image5.
  8. Click on Image5, open the Filter transform, add Mask1b setting wht = 100 & blk = 0, Filter = your color of choice [usually a near white pastel], click OK creating Image6.
  9. Click on Image6, open the Noise transform, add Mask1b setting wht = 2 & blk = 0, selecting Guassian, clicking OK creating Image7.
  10. Click on Image7, open the Crop/Add Border transform, selecting Borders = 2, Border = 12.5% gray, Softness = 0.20%, click OK creating Image8 – the complete emboss edged image.

 

Phase B: sizing and creating the background [bkgd] image or matte for an 8.5 x11 inch ratio.  If everything went well in Phase A, Image8 should = 1644 x 2044 pixels and 200 ppi.

  1. Decide upon a margin size, say 2 inches beyond the top and bottom of Image8.  Then the height of the bkgd image becomes 1644 + (2 x (2x200ppi)) = 2444 pixels.
  2. Then the bkgd image width becomes (2444x11) / 8.5 = 3163 pixels.
  3. Click on File -> New and create the bkgd image with the calculated height and width pixel dimensions and 200 dpi.  Select your color of choice, click OK creating Bkgd1a.
  4. Click on Bkgd1a, open the Filter transform, add a Mask = texture of choice and Filter = color of choice, adjust settings to suit, click OK creating Bkgd1b.  You could also use Composite-Blend or -Filter transform.
  5. Click on Bkgd1b, open the Noise transform, add 2% RGB Guassian noise, click OK creating Bkgd1c.
  6. Optional: click on Bkgd1c, open the Gradient transform adding shading to suit, click OK creating Bkgd1d.

[Phase B Steps 1 through 4 are illustrated here.]

 

Phase C: merging and printing Image8 and Bkgd1 images.  My preferred method is to use Composite-Blend to ensure no re-sizing.

  1. Click on the final Bkgd1 image, open Composite-Blend where the Input = Bkgd1, amt = 100, Overlay = Image8, amt =100, Alignment = 1 point (shift).
  2. Add gridlines to Image8 and the Preview as needed to center or to have weighted margins as desired.
  3. Click OK, creating Image9.
  4. Click on Image 9, click on File -> Print, set Printer Properties [quality and paper size], and then set Print margins to 0.  Now the printer driver should do any required resizing necessary to fit Image9 to the 8.5x11 inch photo paper.

 

If you have been successful…. Hopefully the combined images and corners of your image9 will look something like this:

 

 





Additional considerations:

  1. Try varying the width of the Border in Steps A.4 and A.5 to see how it affects the results of the Emboss transform.  Also, instead of adding a white image border in Step A.5, add a black border.  In this case the Emboss transform should give a raised effect instead of a depressed effect.  This can be used to create a 3D virtual frame using the matte image as the starting point.
  2. Try varying the suggested Emboss and Blur transform settings to see the effects.

 

Most of all…. Have fun!!!!!!

You are welcome to see other IMAGEs by DEN.
Last Update: 060116 rev 5: added PhaseB illustrated link