Making a Custom Picture Frame - Corel Paint Shop Pro Tutorial

by Jed Clampett June 1, 2000   There will probably be plenty of times when you'd rather have a different kind of frame than the ones that are included. You can make any that you'd like. We are going to start with a basic rectangle frame in this tutorial.   1   Go to File|New and choose the dimensions you want. Pick the largest size you think you'd ever use because the saved frame will be adjusted according to the image you frame. I choose 600x400 which is much bigger than I'd ever use on the Web. Notice the other settings, Resolution is 72 and the background is Transparent - this is very important, it has to be transparent for your picture to show through. Click OK 2 We need to select the area our frame will cover. Selections|Select All   3 Decide how wide you'd like your frame, I decided on 90 pixels. Selections|Modify|Contract - type in 90 for the pixels click OK, (this takes awhile so be patient) 4 Choose Selections|Invert - Now you'll see the "marching ants" around what will become your frame. 5 Choose what you'd like to fill the frame with. You can use a solid color, gradient fill, texture or a pattern. Check the Pattern tutorial on how to use patterns as fills. We are going to use the gradient fill so that you can follow along and reproduce the effects yourself.   6 Click the Flood fill tool - in the Tool Options, Flood Fill dialog box, choose rectangular gradient. 7 Click the middle tab of the Dialog box and use these settings: Sunset - Repeats 1 - Horizontal 50 - Vertical 50 Then fill the area with the fill tool. 8 If you don't like this gradient you can always click Edit on the above dialog box and change your gradient.    9 This is the result of applying the default of the Sunset gradient. 10 Notice the rectangle in the center, that is where the picture will show through. I don't care for the light blue part so let's get rid of it. Go to Selections|Invert, click the Selections icon and check the Tool Options box and be sure the rectangle is selected. Place you cursor in the corner above the blue area, (see below) hold your shift key and drag the marquees to the opposite corner and down a bit past the current dotted line, release your mouse. You have just added to the current selection. Repeat for the bottom. Return to our previous settings Selections|Invert     11 Now that you have your frame area filled you can add dimension and realism with some image effects. We will use the inner bevel. Image|Effects|Inner Bevel - Click the Presets Dropdown and choose Frame - leave the other settings at their defaults, click OK. Deactivate the selection, Selections|Select None    12 Now you have your finished frame. You can experiment by applying any of the effects, just look at all the options. Once you have settled on a frame you like we need to save it. There are a couple of steps you need to take when saving your first frame, after that it is the same as any other save. 13 SAVE- We need to make an association of the frames extension which is pfr. File|Preferences|File Format Associations 14 Scroll down and choose Paint shop Pro (psp), click extensions, click Add and type in pfr, click OK, OK, OK 15 Go to File|Save As - Type in your file name and use a pfr extension, click OK. Be sure to save your new frame in your Paint Shop Pro Frames folder. Now when you use the Picture Frame Wizard your new frame will be available as a selection.