How to Create a Reusable Photo Frame Using Pixascape and DesignScape

Today you will learn how to create a reusable photo frame using Pixascape and DesignScape. Creating a reusable frame allows you to quickly add and share your photos with everyone. Pixascape and DesignScape are available to Plus Members.

Not a Plus Member yet? Sign up for a free 30 Day Trial of the Gold Plus Membership today! We will be using this beach holiday photo from the Plus Hub.

We will begin in Pixascape with a blank white page. You can use a screenshot of a blank document from any program you have. Decide on whether you want to create a portrait or landscape frame. We went with a landscape approach.

Step 1 - Add Custom Border Frame in Pixascape

Once you have opened your image in Pixascape, you may want to crop the image. We cropped to a size of 1500 x 1000 px.

Next, click on the bottom most icon to access and use the Frames option. Let’s add a Custom Border Frame first. Click on Custom Border. Then click on the Color Picker for the Outer border and change to a blue or color of your choice. Choose another color for the Inner border.

Increase the Outer Thickness to around 30% for the Outer Border. Change the Inner Thickness for the Inner Border to 20%. You can adjust the custom frame further if you wish. We left the other settings as is. Now click Apply.

Step 2 - Add Decorative Borders to Frame

Click on one of the decorative border categories and start building up your frame design. We started with Earthy and chose number 009. The color was also changed to #20578C. This created a leafy border for the top part of the frame.

Next, we added another Earthy border, number 006 with the same color. If you forget what color you used, simply click on the eyedropper. Then click over the color you want to use.

We will be editing the overlapping flowers in DesignScape.

Carry on to experiment with the other decorative borders to achieve the look you want. Here we used number 008 under the Artistic Category and left this white.

We also added a slight grunge look with the Grunge Category, number 01. The grunge border’s Opacity was reduced to 50% under the settings.

You can keep your reusable photo frame fairly simple or add a photo effect in Pixascape. We decided to add a painterly feel. We clicked on the Effects panel, selected the Painting category then chose effect number FX014.

Once your reusable photo frame is ready, you need to save it in a format of your choice. Remember to give your image a name when saving.

Step 3 - Edit the Reusable Photo Frame in DesignScape

Drag and drop the newly created photo frame into DesignScape. All we are going to do is remove the background, or in this case, the inner part of the frame. The Magic Wand is useful where the background includes intricate details that you want to keep.

Use the Rectangle Selection Tool

For this tutorial, we will use the Rectangle selection tool, which is found on the left toolbar. Click on the tool to select, then click + drag out a rectangle selection box. Make sure that it covers the part of the frame that you want to remove.

The next step will depend on how flexible you want your file to be. We can non-destructively edit the frame with a Raster Mask or just delete the selected area. Let’s start by deleting the selected area first.

Delete the Background

You can quickly, and permanently, remove the inner border. With the area still selected, hit the Delete key.

Note, once this is done, the only way to bring back that area to edit, is to use the Undo button.

Remove the selection by going to Select > Deselect.

Use a Raster Mask

To make sure the correct area is masked out, you need to reverse the selection. With the selection still active, go to Select > Inverse. Next, go to the bottom of the Layers Panel then click on Add Raster Mask.

A mask will be added where you can still freely edit the original frame. Go back to Select > Deselect so the selection box is removed.

Save Reusable Photo Frame as PSD

You can now save the reusable photo frame as a PSD in order to keep it an editable file. Go to File > Save as PSD then give the file a name and choose a location.

Place Image in the Photo Frame

With the PSD file still open, drag and drop your image into the document. Make sure to place the image at the bottom of the layers.

You can click + drag the layer down beneath the frame layer. Or simply select the image layer then go to Layer > Arrange > Send Backward. This action will send the layer back one.

You can also resize your image to fit as needed. Finally, save it as a JPG or any format you want.

There you go, you have just created a reusable photo frame using Pixascape and DesignScape. Now you can add and save your photos with a customized frame. With so many design options available between Pixascape and DesignScape, creating multiple frames is super fun and easy.