Photoshop How To

Adobe expert and educator Colin Smith is back with another quick-and-timely post-processing tutorial that anyone can master quickly. In this video he explains the concept behind Photoshop's new Frame tool capabilities. Then he walks you through the step-by step method for using them to advantage.

Adobe's update added new shapes to the Frame tool including a Triangle option and a Custom setting. Smith covers the new shapes in sufficient detail, but the real meat of today's episode is this: I'm going to show you how to make a photo fit any shape you want.

Smith begins the six-minute video with an overview of how Photoshop's Frame tool works. The first obvious difference is the Triangle that's been added the familiar Circle and Rectangle options. So why would you want a triangular image? Check out the interesting examples that Smith provides to get you thinking other intriguing possibilities.

|Once you drop or import any image into the triangle there's plenty of control. You can reposition the photo in limitless directions, resize it you to suit your need, and much more. The key here is that the triangle is a vector shape. In other words, it remains independent of your image as you experiment with different looks.

What's more exciting, however, is Photoshop's new Custom Frame capability that offers a variety of unique (some might say outlandish) opportunities for creating eye-catching  images with an unconventional shape.

Just click on the Shape tab and you be presented with multiple shapes in a variety of categories, from Animals and Trees, to Boats and Flowers. And Legacy shapes like Arrows that you may have employed in the past can still be found within the panel.

The real fun begins when Smith selects the Custom Shapes option that enables you to create shapes of your own. There's a manual approach as well as a trick for making complex shapes automatically. You'll also learn how to get the job done with Ai.

Be sure to stick with the video until the end when Smith demonstrates how easy it is to use Layer Styles and Drop Shadows to refine your results. Then head over to the Photoshop Café YouTube channel for more straightforward solutions to vexing post-processing challenges.