Some images, particularly high-key pictures or any with a very light background, will benefit from having a wide matte - sometimes even a tiny image with a very large matte. The wide matte serves to isolate the image from the "outside world" - perhaps it allows the viewer to concentrate on the image more.
If you've got a photographic masterpiece that you want on your wall (or maybe the wall of the local gallery) you're going to need some form of matting around it - something to show it off better. But you'll want to print your photograph to fit a matte or have a matte fitted around. There are (IMHO) few uses for photographic mattes (made on the computer) but they can work very well on digital scrapbooks (not that I know much about them) and online galleries.
Here's a look at a method for making "virtual" mattes on PSE.
Open your image and go to Image > Resize > Canvas Size. Add a small border of around 1% - choose Gray as the colour.
Now convert your background into a 'proper' layer. (I right-click and choose "Layer from Background" - you'll be asked to give the layer a name, I usually just go with the default "Layer 0").
Resize the Canvas - (Image > Resize > Canvas Size). I like a wide matte (for isolating the image, as mentioned above) So I look at the original image width and think of about 20% around it. However, while you can add to Canvas Size by percentage, 20% of the height is not the same as 20% of the width, and you'd end up with a non-uniform shape. So a quick calculation is required - 20% of the width can be worked out in inches or cm, so add that to both boxes in the Sizing box.
OK, you should have a wide transparent border around your image now.
Go for the Magic Wand and click on the transparent area to select it.
Create a new blank layer and flood the selection shape with black.
Create another blank layer above that and flood that with a colour that matches your image - white is fine for a B&W picture but go for an off-white/cream kind of thing (if you like) for a good colour coordination.
Deselect the selection (Ctrl-D).
Go back to the Black layer and then go to Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Watch your image as the blurring begins to resemble a shadow. You may like up to anything between 30 and 70% blur. (A lot of blurred shadow looks great on computer but less is best when printing). When you like it, click ok.
(At this stage you may be think "I could have done this quicker by just adding a white border with Drop Shadows" - correct, but the shadows aren't as subtle as the Gaussian Blur version). (And anyway, we enjoy exploring, eh?)
Now I'd want to save my work as a psd file, just in case I want to go back to it to increase the blur or maybe the colour of the matte. Or just to see how you did it!
Couple of extra touches........ select the bottom layer - increase canvas size again, by about 3% - so add about 0.4 of an inch all round. You'll now have a little more transparency around the matte.
Select the layer with the white matte and go to the Effects palette. Put a simple outer bevel on, then find drop shadows and put the soft-edge one on. Save as the same psd.
Now flatten layers (if you like) and save as whatever you like.
http://www.prestophoto.com/photos/image/900985/24460/large
The layers.... (includes a signature layer)
By the way - there are some slightly blurry patches on the pic (large or original version) - the street was full of cars!
If you've got a photographic masterpiece that you want on your wall (or maybe the wall of the local gallery) you're going to need some form of matting around it - something to show it off better. But you'll want to print your photograph to fit a matte or have a matte fitted around. There are (IMHO) few uses for photographic mattes (made on the computer) but they can work very well on digital scrapbooks (not that I know much about them) and online galleries.
Here's a look at a method for making "virtual" mattes on PSE.
Open your image and go to Image > Resize > Canvas Size. Add a small border of around 1% - choose Gray as the colour.
Now convert your background into a 'proper' layer. (I right-click and choose "Layer from Background" - you'll be asked to give the layer a name, I usually just go with the default "Layer 0").
Resize the Canvas - (Image > Resize > Canvas Size). I like a wide matte (for isolating the image, as mentioned above) So I look at the original image width and think of about 20% around it. However, while you can add to Canvas Size by percentage, 20% of the height is not the same as 20% of the width, and you'd end up with a non-uniform shape. So a quick calculation is required - 20% of the width can be worked out in inches or cm, so add that to both boxes in the Sizing box.
OK, you should have a wide transparent border around your image now.
Go for the Magic Wand and click on the transparent area to select it.
Create a new blank layer and flood the selection shape with black.
Create another blank layer above that and flood that with a colour that matches your image - white is fine for a B&W picture but go for an off-white/cream kind of thing (if you like) for a good colour coordination.
Deselect the selection (Ctrl-D).
Go back to the Black layer and then go to Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Watch your image as the blurring begins to resemble a shadow. You may like up to anything between 30 and 70% blur. (A lot of blurred shadow looks great on computer but less is best when printing). When you like it, click ok.
(At this stage you may be think "I could have done this quicker by just adding a white border with Drop Shadows" - correct, but the shadows aren't as subtle as the Gaussian Blur version). (And anyway, we enjoy exploring, eh?)
Now I'd want to save my work as a psd file, just in case I want to go back to it to increase the blur or maybe the colour of the matte. Or just to see how you did it!
Couple of extra touches........ select the bottom layer - increase canvas size again, by about 3% - so add about 0.4 of an inch all round. You'll now have a little more transparency around the matte.
Select the layer with the white matte and go to the Effects palette. Put a simple outer bevel on, then find drop shadows and put the soft-edge one on. Save as the same psd.
Now flatten layers (if you like) and save as whatever you like.
http://www.prestophoto.com/photos/image/900985/24460/large
The layers.... (includes a signature layer)
By the way - there are some slightly blurry patches on the pic (large or original version) - the street was full of cars!