Frames around digital images?

[carregwen]

What do we think of on-line frames? Are they in? Or are they out? Are they chic? Or are they infra dig?

Colin frames everything, others frame nothing. Some frame occasionally. What about standard frames such as this one Standard frame? Personally, I like the dropped shadow as it looks good on white, like this one dropped shadow frame

Or do you prefer your shots naked?

[Dave Humphries]

I'm lazy and just go naked

Rarely do I feel I have the artistic ability to pick nice colours when it suits (including black or white ) to complement the image.

There are certainly some here that have the knack though, I think on the whole, the gals have the edge in getting it right more often than not.
Most blokes tend to get in a rut and just use a standard one over and over - not that there's anything wrong in that and arguably no frame is the same as a standard frame.

Cheers,

[Colin Southern]

Frames remind me of an old Listerine ad (mouthwash with a real "kick") "Listerine - I hate it ... but I use it - TWICE A DAY". When it comes to frames, creating them is a minor to moderate PITA (even though I use an action to create them), but ...

Which would look better: A framed print on a wall, or an unframed print stuck on the wall with a thumb tack or sellotape. The bottom line is a frame & matting usually, significantly, improves an image by isolating the image from it's surroundings and drawing the eye into it.

[Colin Southern]

I'm lazy and just go naked

Arrrrgh ... too much information, too much information!

I think on the whole, the gals have the edge in getting it right more often than not.

I've had many occasions when a bloke has seen a canvas of mine that he likes and says he's like to buy it, but "needs to check with the wife first" ... and 9 times out of 10 the wife rejects it on the grounds that it doesn't go with the (insert name of house part here) (walls, curtains, carpet etc).

[ScoutR]

What do we think of on-line frames? Are they in? Or are they out? Are they chic? Or are they infra dig?

I don't know if they are in or out, but they can certainly enhance the shot. Standard frame or otherwise, generally I think the shot looks more complete if it has a frame or simple border. Of course if it looks good on black, we have the lightbox so no frame required.

Every shot is different. I like the drop shadow frame, but it does not work on everything. Some shots look better with a thin border some look better with a wide border. Some look better with colours some look better plain. I like playing around with frames because I can. Not saying I get it right
but it's one of the easier things to do in Elements.

From Dave: Rarely do I feel I have the artistic ability to pick nice colours when it suits (including black or white ) to complement the image.

Dave, I have the same problem. I don't know if you can do this with Elements 6, but if you right click on the background of the editing window in Elements 8 and choose "Select Custom Colour" the cursor turns to an eyedropper and then you can select colours from within the shot for the window background. This is an easy way to find a complementary colour and to see what looks good with the shot you are working on.

Then when you have resized the shot - duplicate the layer - Go to Image - Resize - Canvas, and under colour select Other and use the eyedropper to pickup the background colour of the editing window. If you have made sure that you duplicated the layer, you can add different iterations of drop shadows or bevels from the effects tab.

Long story short, my vote is for frames or borders, as long as they compliment the shot and do not distract from the image. Generally simple seems better.

Wendy

[carregwen]

I've had many occasions when a bloke has seen a canvas of mine that he likes and says he's like to buy it, but "needs to check with the wife first" ... and 9 times out of 10 the wife rejects it on the grounds that it doesn't go with the (insert name of house part here) (walls, curtains, carpet etc).

That's half the female forum members gone!

[carregwen]

Of course if it looks good on black, we have the lightbox so no frame required.

Good point there. If you add a frame it often looks a mess in the lightbox.

Dave, I have the same problem. I don't know if you can do this with Elements 6, but if you right click on the background of the editing window in Elements 8 and choose "Select Custom Colour" the cursor turns to an eyedropper and then you can select colours from within the shot for the window background. This is an easy way to find a complementary colour and to see what looks good with the shot you are working on.

Then when you have resized the shot - duplicate the layer - Go to Image - Resize - Canvas, and under colour select Other and use the eyedropper to pickup the background colour of the editing window. If you have made sure that you duplicated the layer, you can add different iterations of drop shadows or bevels from the effects tab.

I use Flickr (Pro) and the editing functions there (Picnic) are actually quite good, especially the framing. Very quick and easy.

[Wirefox]

As you have probably noticed I started with plain black borders, then no borders and currently white with drop shadow which I think I like best. I certainly think borders can make or break certain images but at the end of the day if you are shooting for yourself it boils down to what you are comfortable with. If you are shooting to sell your work then it becomes much more difficult (as Colin points out). I suspect all of us here mentally blank out the border because we are examining the technical merits of the image. The casual viewer will be much more impressed with the overall aspect. There are exceptions and Rob's "Corsican pines" is a case where the base image was (for me) secondary to the overall impact of the presentation as a package

TREE THREAD - Post your tree shots here

I, personally, love the off the strong geometric borders and expansive use of blank space ,since they can become very much a part of the visual package. It is not something I would normally do for forum presentation but this is the sort of thing I mean....

[Maritimer1]

I am a fan of the dropped shadow frame. Have to figure out how to make frames this weekend, too, as someone wants names listed under a group shot I took last weekend.

Colin's frames are like a distinctive signature. Nice to recognize his work right away.

Myra

[Radu Dinu Cordeanu]

Hi,
Only now I read this very intresting thread because many other domestic activities link of my daughter's house kept me out of photography.I try to remind You some general facts.First frame use was,probably,in primitive life when human beings found the cave(a frame) protection against hostile environment.During time,our life draining was filtered through different kind of concepts(frames) from psychosocial until phisical frames.In extension,one could say our phisical envelope is a frame for our soul.Of course is a certinity that our clothes(frames) emphasise both body and personality.Linked with this last afirmation the majority of us understands that the human artisitic products are presented in frames.I'm just thinking at novels which are frame in frame from covers until chapters.The theatre shows are successions of frames on a stage(frame)...The movie is a frame after frame presented on a screen frame.Being now on the Earth,again,shots frames(or borders as someones like to say)rise up the value of a shot presented on a screen.A shot without frame seems to be no more than a draft,the onlooker looking for a finished product.
Thank You for the translation in true English of these thoughts.
Radu Dinu

[carregwen]

Hi,
Only now I read this very intresting thread because many other domestic activities link of my daughter's house kept me out of photography.I try to remind You some general facts.First frame use was,probably,in primitive life when human beings found the cave(a frame) protection against hostile environment.During time,our life draining was filtered through different kind of concepts(frames) from psychosocial until phisical frames.In extension,one could say our phisical envelope is a frame for our soul.Of course is a certinity that our clothes(frames) emphasise both body and personality.Linked with this last afirmation the majority of us understands that the human artisitic products are presented in frames.I'm just thinking at novels which are frame in frame from covers until chapters.The theatre shows are successions of frames on a stage(frame)...The movie is a frame after frame presented on a screen frame.Being now on the Earth,again,shots frames(or borders as someones like to say)rise up the value of a shot presented on a screen.A shot without frame seems to be no more than a draft,the onlooker looking for a finished product.
Thank You for the translation in true English of these thoughts.
Radu Dinu

Radu

Are you saying that 'frames' are a way of focussing attention on a particular aspect of things/people? So, if I deliberately behave in a certain way I am saying "This is the frame through which I want you to see me, and this is what you will see me as". And the use of the frame dictates, or tries to force others to see me that way. That being so, 'frames' might be a false reality, masking the true nature of things. Or me! Do I see myself through a frame?

[Radu Dinu Cordeanu]

Radu

Are you saying that 'frames' are a way of focussing attention on a particular aspect of things/people? So, if I deliberately behave in a certain way I am saying "This is the frame through which I want you to see me, and this is what you will see me as". And the use of the frame dictates, or tries to force others to see me that way. That being so, 'frames' might be a false reality, masking the true nature of things. Or me! Do I see myself through a frame?

Although my English is too primitive for such discussion and now I have no dictionary beside me to better it I understand that You try to turn on this from "border" of an aesthetic work to the KNOWLEDGE.You probably know this is a place where we discuss about shots so we know each other through this activity so only this "frame" cannot uncover Your or my entire personality.Neither me nor anyone from human being don't know all faces of mine or Yours and so on.Only God knows all.Probably this answer is too formal for You but returning to frame as borders of a shot my answer is YES,I translate it as a form of respect in front of the onlooker,of course from my point of view.But when I look at a shot without borders( which is not mine) I don't think that it is a lack of respect gesture.
I hope You will have a good afternoon!
Radu Dinu

[wilgk]

Thought I best chime in - in case you really thought you had lost the female forum members...
I think the framed in black shots look the best - something else for me to learn, is the only reason I haven't done it.
As a little bit of trivia we have what is called a 'Federation' style house here in Geelong basically green roof red bricks and cream balcony/verandah posts etc - old fashioned style - yet when we put the pool in the back yard we were told you must onlpy use black pool fence - don't try and match the cream of the detail on the rest of the house.
The reason being the black lets you see through the fence, your eye is drawn beyond to the pool....maybe I'm not explaining myself (remember geek girl with no artistic flair at all).
But just after that time we watched a show about a house in New Zealand with absolutely stunning views of the mountains - inside they had painted the walls black, so that all you saw was the views outside......
anyway bottom line (in accountant speak) = love the black frames........
loggs off wondering if they make smilies for accountant's speak

[Radu Dinu Cordeanu]

Thought I best chime in - in case you really thought you had lost the female forum members...
I think the framed in black shots look the best - something else for me to learn, is the only reason I haven't done it.
As a little bit of trivia we have what is called a 'Federation' style house here in Geelong basically green roof red bricks and cream balcony/verandah posts etc - old fashioned style - yet when we put the pool in the back yard we were told you must onlpy use black pool fence - don't try and match the cream of the detail on the rest of the house.
The reason being the black lets you see through the fence, your eye is drawn beyond to the pool....maybe I'm not explaining myself (remember geek girl with no artistic flair at all).
But just after that time we watched a show about a house in New Zealand with absolutely stunning views of the mountains - inside they had painted the walls black, so that all you saw was the views outside......
anyway bottom line (in accountant speak) = love the black frames........
loggs off wondering if they make smilies for accountant's speak

Hi,
About female I saw in a photomagazine(I didn't remind which magazine was) many shots and the question was which of them have a female author.The majority of answers were wrong because there are many hidden faces of a personality which rise out in certain conditions.On the other side the distances
between us do the sex without importance in the case of an about phography forum.
About the colour of the borders, black,in my country,for exemple, is the colour of the borders of dead people photographies.
All the best
Radu Dinu(male,born from female,married with a female and father of a female)

[Bannacht]

I think it really depends on the image, if one feels that a frame enhances it, no matter what colour, then go for it!

[Maritimer1]

I just learned how to make frames last week! Don't take them away from me!! First the smilies, maybe the frames...where will this madness lead???

Translation: Kidding! It's Friday morning and not a moment too soon.
Not Kidding: Only on CinC could one find a philosophical discussion about frames. Wonderful!


Myra

[Shadowman]

The traditional method of displaying your photographs was in a portfolio which gives a black background. Just wondering if members who advocate frames print their images that way, meaning printing with a frame?

[Andy]

Online frames look cheesy and waste space. I use borders when framing prints but web images are different.

The only time I use a simple border online is when the image has tones too similar to the web page it's to be displayed on and needs something to seperate the two.

Some folk seem to think an image is only finished when they've shrunk it down to fit a muckle border round it and slapped their name on it. Often I'm left what took more effort - the photo or the patter.

[amolsan]

Wendy,
Can I create a frame for my photo and put my name on the frame by using Aparture software on my Mac?
If you can please guide me.
Amolsan

[amolsan]

Wirefox,

That looks nice. How can I create it using Aparture on my Mac?
Amolsan