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This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

Adobe Photoshop Classroom in a Book (2021 release)Adobe Photoshop Classroom in a Book (2021 release)

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This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

Adobe Photoshop Classroom in a Book (2021 release)Adobe Photoshop Classroom in a Book (2021 release)

Learn More Buy

Adding a border

The Hawaii postcard is nearly done. The elements are almost all arranged correctly in the composition. You’ll finish up by positioning the postmark and then adding a white postcard border.

NOTE

The Auto-Select option can save time by letting you select a layer by clicking it with the Move tool, instead of having to select it in the Layers panel. But in documents where many layers overlap, if clicking keeps selecting the wrong layer, try turning off Auto-Select.

  1. Select the Move tool, and in the options bar, make sure Auto-Select is disabled.

  2. Select the Postage layer, and then use the Move tool (move.jpg) to drag it to the middle right of the image, as in the illustration.

    f0103-01.jpg

    Click to view larger image

  3. Select the Island Paradise layer in the Layers panel, and then click the Create A New Layer button (layer.jpg) at the bottom of the panel.

  4. Choose Select > All.

  5. Choose Select > Modify > Border. In the Border Selection dialog box, type 10 pixels for the Width, and click OK.

    A 10-pixel border is selected around the entire image. Now, you’ll fill it with white.

  6. Select white for the Foreground Color, and then choose Edit > Fill.

  7. In the Fill dialog box, choose Foreground Color from the Contents menu, and click OK.

    f0103-02.jpg

    Click to view larger image

  8. Choose Select > Deselect.

  9. Double-click the Layer 1 name in the Layers panel, and rename the layer Border.

    f0104-01.jpg

    Click to view larger image

USE LAYER COMPS TO STORE AND SWITCH AMONG DESIGN IDEAS

The Layer Comps panel (choose Window > Layer Comps) provides one-click flexibility in switching between different views of a multilayered image file. A layer comp is simply a saved state of the settings in the Layers panel. Whenever you want to preserve a specific combination of layer properties, create a new layer comp. Then, by switching from one layer comp to another, you can quickly review the two designs. The beauty of layer comps becomes apparent when you want to demonstrate a number of possible design arrangements. When you’ve created a few layer comps, you can review the design variations without having to tediously select and deselect eye icons or change settings in the Layers panel.

Say, for example, that you are designing a brochure, and you’re producing a version in English as well as in French. You might have the French text on one layer, and the English text on another in the same image file. To create two different layer comps, you would simply turn on visibility for the French layer and turn off visibility for the English layer, and then click the Create New Layer Comp button in the Layer Comps panel. Then you’d do the inverse—turn on visibility for the English layer and turn off visibility for the French layer, and click the Create New Layer Comp button—to create an English layer comp. To view the different layer comps, click the Layer Comp box for each comp in the Layer Comps panel in turn.

Layer comps can be an especially valuable feature when the design is in flux or when you need to create multiple versions of the same image file. If some aspects need to stay consistent among layer comps, you can change the visibility, position, or appearance of one layer in a layer comp and then sync it to see that change reflected in all the other layer comps.

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