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to add photo borders or not?
- Thread starter gooomz
- Start date
johnnygoesdigital
New member
I love borders on finished prints, it adds subtle contrast that draws the viewer in. I've used them in software, but they usually require cropping if saved as a master image before printing. Although, at a recent gallery show, the use of a printed black border and matted frame added a very desirable effect to the image. Framing is a personal choice, but one I love for certain photographs...
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J
jamie123
Guest
Fake film borders? Definitely not.
Borders with lines and your name or the image title in cheesy caligraphy in a corner? Hell no.
Simple basic borders in black or white? Sure, if you like. For screen viewing I actually prefer slightly off white borders as the reduced luminosity is closer to paper. Pure white borders on a screen can quickly 'outshine' the image.
Borders with lines and your name or the image title in cheesy caligraphy in a corner? Hell no.
Simple basic borders in black or white? Sure, if you like. For screen viewing I actually prefer slightly off white borders as the reduced luminosity is closer to paper. Pure white borders on a screen can quickly 'outshine' the image.
IMO there is no right or wrong answer for this. Depends on the presentation and where.
When I design wedding albums I sometimes use a 3 pixel holding line just outside of the image area ... or have a boarder suitable to the photo. They are just design elements to work with.
Straight prints for framing such as portraits rarely benefit from some distracting boarder ... however, I have used a slight drop shadow from time-to-time.
Some wilder conceptual type images can include a related border as part of the over-all presentation.
But as a general rule, boarders don't do much for me because they really don't do much for the photo ... better to present fine-art prints in an actual mat and frame not a simulated one.
Marc
When I design wedding albums I sometimes use a 3 pixel holding line just outside of the image area ... or have a boarder suitable to the photo. They are just design elements to work with.
Straight prints for framing such as portraits rarely benefit from some distracting boarder ... however, I have used a slight drop shadow from time-to-time.
Some wilder conceptual type images can include a related border as part of the over-all presentation.
But as a general rule, boarders don't do much for me because they really don't do much for the photo ... better to present fine-art prints in an actual mat and frame not a simulated one.
Marc
I think there will be a wide variety of opinions on this subject. Personally I think images posted on the web and even on photo related forums look much better with an artificial mat or mat and frame. If actual printed photos are being displayed for sale without matting or framing, I also believe images look better with a conservative border treatment. But there is a fine line between too much and and an improvement. For those of you who have used some form of artificial frame or mat I would be interested in examples of publicly available actions for use with Photoshop that you feel strike a good balance without being too cheesy. Charles
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johnnygoesdigital
New member
Recently, I was at a street show and saw an amazing painter displaying his talent. By far, the one's with an appropriate frame got the most attention. It added a level of character and thus, became part of the overall piece, which is what sometimes happens with photographs...after all we are artists!
The more I think about this issue, the more inclined I am to say that digitally matting or framing an image before displaying it online is highly desired. Like so many areas it can be done well...or in a distracting manner. So, I do hope this thread will take on a long life with lots of contributors providing examples and referencing software and actions that others can sample and improve their digital framing, borders, and mats. Charles
Godfrey
Well-known member
I put simple borders on my standard flickr.com postings, either generated in Photoshop via a set of scripts I wrote an age ago:
or generated out of LR via the SlideShow module:
I don't annotate with a digital reproduction of my signature or use anything fancier than that. The most complex I might do are for diptych or triptych sets.
When I make prints, I add no borders OR i create a 'ragged rebate' edge simulation as sometimes the visual intent is enhanced by something more than just a plain edge treatment (kind of like the textural "blends" stuff that others have been doing). On prints, I make wide paper borders and the annotation is added by hand with pencil, including the signature, with the intent to mat and frame with a full-reveal style. ... But I leave the matting and framing up to the customer most of the time.
or generated out of LR via the SlideShow module:
I don't annotate with a digital reproduction of my signature or use anything fancier than that. The most complex I might do are for diptych or triptych sets.
When I make prints, I add no borders OR i create a 'ragged rebate' edge simulation as sometimes the visual intent is enhanced by something more than just a plain edge treatment (kind of like the textural "blends" stuff that others have been doing). On prints, I make wide paper borders and the annotation is added by hand with pencil, including the signature, with the intent to mat and frame with a full-reveal style. ... But I leave the matting and framing up to the customer most of the time.
TRSmith
Subscriber Member
I don't believe there's a right or wrong answer to this. New ideas seem to emerge every day and viewing images on a screen instead of on paper has allowed for things never imagined when an enlarger was involved in the making of photographic images.
Although, I seem to remember that either the film holder for the Focomat IIc was already over sized or was filed to slightly larger dimensions to allow a small bit of the unexposed area around the frame to hit the paper, creating a "frame".
As always, when something "works", the "rules" are revised to include it. Frame on!
Tim
Although, I seem to remember that either the film holder for the Focomat IIc was already over sized or was filed to slightly larger dimensions to allow a small bit of the unexposed area around the frame to hit the paper, creating a "frame".
As always, when something "works", the "rules" are revised to include it. Frame on!
Tim
For prints, I think boarders are good for a number of reasons -- not covering the image with a prospective frame, adding a "fine art" appeal to the image, etc. However, for web galleries, I see boarders, generally, as kitsch. They're unnecessary. Add them to your prints, certainly, but I'd steer clear for galleries. Same with signatures.
I have to agree with Joe ... it's a matter of taste and there is no right or wrong.
I often add a white border to an image akin to a 2" mat because of the various background
tones used on different posting sites ... Dark grey here, lighter grey elsewhere, black on others.
I sometimes use "sloppy boarders on B&W pics meant to print, and they have white around them.
-Marc
I often add a white border to an image akin to a 2" mat because of the various background
tones used on different posting sites ... Dark grey here, lighter grey elsewhere, black on others.
I sometimes use "sloppy boarders on B&W pics meant to print, and they have white around them.
-Marc
Jan Brittenson
Senior Subscriber Member
I always print with a border. For web use I'd probably add a border if LR3 could do it as an export option; since it doesn't, I don't bother.
Jan Brittenson
Senior Subscriber Member
But I have been experimenting with watermarking. Not sure whether I like it.
Godfrey
Well-known member
You can output photos for web use from LR3 with a border as I demonstrated earlier in the thread. You can do more complex layouts in the Slide Show module or "print as JPEG" from the print module. It's pretty easy ... no plugins required.
(I've never gotten LR/Mogrify to work correctly; I deleted it.)
D
Deleted member 7792
Guest
At the risk of violating "club rules", I'd like to offer the GetDPI community a new version (v0.9.5) of my (free) framing script - FrameShop - for CS5 and CS6.
Framing images for the Web, as I've said earlier in this thread, is a matter of taste and context. Many posters just want to show the EXIF in a border or watermark an image with their copyright information. The FrameShop script can be used to do either or both of those tasks. Here's a simple example:
And a more "elaborate" one:
A full description and download link can be found here. Helping fellow photographers with scripts like this is my way of giving back to a community that has given me so much. I don't derive any income from this effort. It's a labor of love. Enjoy!
Joe
Framing images for the Web, as I've said earlier in this thread, is a matter of taste and context. Many posters just want to show the EXIF in a border or watermark an image with their copyright information. The FrameShop script can be used to do either or both of those tasks. Here's a simple example:
And a more "elaborate" one:
A full description and download link can be found here. Helping fellow photographers with scripts like this is my way of giving back to a community that has given me so much. I don't derive any income from this effort. It's a labor of love. Enjoy!
Joe