The basic frame comprises four pieces: Top, Bottom,
Left and Right. For wooden frames the grain of the wood needs to be aligned
to each side. Even many metal and plaster frames display a grain direction
and so still need four separate side components. For plastic frames without
a grain direction, you could use the initial Full Border frame we create
first before it is divided into the four separate sides.
1) Open or create a new image
Create a new image Letter sized (File > New), choose inches as the measurement
type and then choose Letter as the preset image size from the drop-down
list, RGB mode, white background, and a resolution of 300 dpi.
2) Create the base outside mask
First, create a mask of the entire image (remove any currently loaded mask
first if necessary) (Mask > Select All or CTRL+A).
Make sure that either the Mask Overlay (Mask > Mask Overlay) or the Mask
Marquee (Mask > Mask Marquee or >CTRL+H>, a toggle) is visible.
Reduce the mask by 50 pixels. ( Mask > Shape > Reduce), or (Mask >
Mask Outline > Reduce in P-P11).
You image should now look like this:
Invert the mask (Mask > Invert or Ctrl+Shift+I)
Save this mask as a channel called "Full Border". (Mask > Save > Save
As Channel).
3) Prepare to edit the mask.
Change the Zoom level to 50%.
Then use the scroll bars or the navigator so you can see the top left corner
of the image.
This is done so that you will be able to accurately cut up the initial mask
to the correct shapes.
Open the Image Info Docker if it isn't displayed already, (Windows >
Dockers > Info or CTRL+F1)
Select the Freehand Mask Tool (K) and change the Mask Mode on the Property
Bar to Subtractive.
4)Edit the mask 1: Create the Top/Bottom Edge Mask Refer
to the animated diagram opposite.
Start at the top LH corner of the image (watch the Info Docker readout so
you know your cursor is positioned at 0,0 first), click once to place a
node point in the corner.
Then move the cursor so that a line crosses precisely at the inner top left
corner of the mask and past it by about half an inch, then click once to set
a node point for the Freehand mask.
Move the cursor down to the bottom of the image, allowing the image to scroll
down until you can see the bottom of the image. When the cursor is about
an inch above the inner corner of the mask at the bottom, click once again
to set a node point.
Then move the cursor to the far left hand (LH) side of the image and double-click.
Double-clicking completes the subtractive mask creation and removes part
of the LH section of the Full Border mask. Now make sure that you can see
the far bottom LH corner of the image and use the Freehand Mask again, still
in Subtractive mode, beginning at the bottom LH corner (0, 10.99), click
to place an initial node, cross the inner bottom LH corner of the mask and
past it by about half an inch, click to place another node, then straight across
to the far LH edge of the image and double click to complete the subtractive
section. You have now removed the LH side of the mask, cutting a mitre into
each of the top and bottom LH corners.
Repeat the procedure for the right hand side of the image, creating mitre
cuts at the top right and bottom right of the mask.Invert the mask (Invert
or CTRL+SHIFT+I)
and save it as a channel called “TB Border”
From the Full Border mask and the Top/Bottom Border mask we have just made,
we can now create the left and right border mask.
5) Edit the mask 2: Create the Left/Right Edge Mask.
Remove the current mask (Mask > Remove or CTRL+R)
Change the mask mode to Normal either on the Property bar when a Mask Tool
is selected, or from the menu using Mask > Mode > Normal Load the
Full Border mask (Mask > Load > Full Border).
Change the mask mode to Subtractive (use the Property bar). Load the TB
Border mask (Mask > Load > TB Border).
Loading the TB Border mask in subtractive mode removes its shape from the
currently loaded Full Border mask, leaving only the left and right sides
with mitre corners abutting those from the TB Border mask precisely.
Change the mask mode back to Normal.
Then save the mask as a channel called LR Border
We now have three masks saved as channels: the Full Border mask, the Top/Bottom
Border mask, and the Left/Right Border mask. Now is a good time to save
your image in Photo-Paint (CPT) format so you retain all the saved channel
masks within the image file.
We can now start to fill the borders with our favourite fill/s.
I'll show you how to create both a wood frame using a Bitmap Fill and also
a Metal frame using a Fountain Fill. The Fountain Filled 'metal' border
can also be 'merged' with the wood border to give it a feeling of depth.
Later can replace the wood and fountain fills I use with almost anything
else you like to create your own unique frame materials. |
Filling the Masks: Create the Wooden Frame.
With the LR Border mask loaded, switch the mask
visualisation method from Overlay to Marquee (both are toggle commands at
the bottom of the Mask menu, or use the icons on the Mask/Object Toolbar).
From menu choose Edit/Fill.
Choose the Bitmap Fill type and then press Edit. The Bitmap Fill dialogue
box appears.
From the Thumbnail preview drop down list choose one of the nice wood fills
near the bottom of the list or you can click the Load button, navigate to
CD#3 of your Corel Draw Suite disks and look in the Tiles \ Wood folder
for additional wood tiles. After selecting a tile, uncheck the “Use
Original Size” checkbox in the Size section of the Bitmap Fill dialogue,
and check the “Maintain Aspect” checkbox.
Change the width to 3 inches. The reason we are doing this (increasing the
size of the tile) is that we are dealing with fairly large image at 300
dpi and if left at the default setting the tile may appear too small with
a very obvious repeat to it.Change the Rotate amount in the Transform section
to 90 degrees.
Click OK twice to fill the left and right sides of the frame. Remove the
current mask then load the TB Border mask (in Normal Mode).
Repeat the Fill procedure but change the Rotate amount back to 0 degrees.
Remove the mask then change the Zoom level to 100% and look at the mitre
corners of your border. They should be joined precisely. If you view the
Object's marquee, you will see that the object comprises just the border
with an empty (transparent)
  area in the middle of it. Now we will create another border object
and use it to give the wood frame an appearance of depth. It is this second
border that you could use separately as a metal frame if you wished to rather
than the wooden one.
The creation of this second border object is different from the first in
two ways:
- it uses a custom fountain fill rather than the previous wood bitmap fill
- each of the four sides must be filled separately as the fill is asymmetric
and must be oriented correctly for each side.
Create the Metal Frame Fountain Fill
Create a new object (Object > Create > Create New Object, or use the
icon at the bottom of the Object Docker) and rename the new object Metal
Frame.
Make the previously created wood frame invisible by clicking the 'eye' visibility
icon beside this object in the Object Docker. Make sure that the new (still
visible) object is active (selected) in the Object Docker. Basically, we
need to repeat some steps, but with some changes to accommodate the two
differences described just above. Because of these changes, don't repeat
the steps now as I will describe each one again with the appropriate changes.The
custom Fountain Fill we create needs to be saved as a Preset so it can be
reused on all four sides. To create this fill, either use Edit Fill from
the menu or double-click the Fill swatch on the status bar (now below the
Toolbox in Photo-Paint 11). Choose Fountain Fill as the type then press
Edit. The Fountain Fill dialogue box appears.
Set up the gradient as follows:
Type = Linear Angle = 0
Color Blend = Custom
0% position = 70% black
100% position = 70% black
32% position = white
Type a name for the new Fountain Fill into the Presets text entry area and
press the + button to save it as a preset. I often name my presets AAA-
something so that they always appear at the top of the presets list which
is in alphabetical order. This helps me find my custom presets quickly and
easily.
This fill is now ready to be used on the left hand frame section. |
Create the Metal Frame
   Make
sure no mask is current and that the mask mode is set to Normal, then
load the LR Border mask
Choose the Fill (Bucket) Tool and click inside the LEFT HAND side
of the mask area to fill that side.
Now we need to rotate the fill by 180 degrees. Double click the Fill
swatch in the status bar (or below the Toolbox in P-P 11) then click
the Edit button on the Select Fill dialogue box.
Change the Angle of the Fountain Fill to 180 degrees, then click OK
twice. With the Fill (bucket) tool, click inside the RIGHT HAND side
of the mask.
Now load the TB Border mask.
As you should still be in Normal Mask Mode, the TB Border mask will
relace the LR Border mask.
If you get either both masks together or an inverted mask, then somehow
the mask mode was changed and you need to remove the current mask,
make sure the mask mode is set to Normal and then load the TB mask
properly. Double-click the Fill swatch again, click Edit and change
the Angle to 90 degrees. Click OK twice to change the fill to the
new angle.
Click inside the BOTTOM mask area to fill the bottom with the rotated
fill.
In a similar manner, change the Fill angle to -90 degrees and the
fill the Top masked area. Remove the mask (CTRL+R). The result should
look like. In the ObjectDocker, make the wood border visible again,
and change the Merge Mode of the Fountain filled border to Multiply.
Now we have completed the basic wooden or metal Picture Frame
note: please see on the Mutch's site,
you can find many other interesting tuts on frames. |
| by David Mutch (http://www.visionary-voyager.com.au/corel/photopaint/Photofun/frames) |
|
