Photo Effects: Three-Image Photo Frame Template with Smart Objects
By Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com
3-Image Photo Frame Template With Smart Objects
In this Photoshop photo effects tutorial, we’ll learn how to create a simple three-image photo frame, and when we’re
done, we’ll see how to easily convert the final result into a reusable template using Photoshop’s Smart Objects! Smart
Objects were first introduced in Photoshop CS2, which means you’ll need Photoshop CS2 or higher for the final steps
in the tutorial. I’ll be using Photoshop CS4 myself. However, if you’re using an earlier version of Photoshop, you can still
create the actual photo frame itself. The only thing you won’t be able to do is convert the images into Smart Objects at
the end of the tutorial.
Here’s the three-photo frame we’ll
be creating:
The final result.
Let’s get started!
Step 1: Create A New Document
Let’s begin by creating a new Photoshop document. Go up to the File menu in
the Menu Bar at the top of the screen and choose New. Or, for a faster way
to create a new document, simply press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+N (Win) /
Command+N (Mac):
Go to File > New, or press Ctrl+N (Win) / Command+N (Mac).
Either way you choose brings up Photoshop’s New
Document dialog box, which is where we set the
options for our new document. Since I’m going to be
placing three portrait-style images side by side each
other in a row, I’ll need a document that’s quite wide,
so I’ll enter 12 inches for the Width and 6 inches for
the Height, making sure that the measurement type
is set to inches and not pixels. You may need to enter
different values for the width and height if you have a
specific document size you want to create. Since I’ll
want to print the frame effect when I’m done, I’ll enter
300 pixels/inch for the Resolution:
Create a new 12 inches x 6 inches document at 300 pixels/inch.
This Photoshop Tutorial © 2009 Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com.
Not To Be Reproduced Or Redistributed Without Permission.
1
Photo Effects: Three-Image Photo Frame Template with Smart Objects
By Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com
Click OK when you’re done to accept the settings
and exit out of the dialog box. The new document
appears on your screen:
The new document appears.
Step 2: Fill The New Document With Black
I want to use black for the background color, so I’ll go up to the Edit menu at the top
of the screen and choose Photoshop’s Fill command, which allows us to fill a layer
or selection with a color:
Go to Edit > Fill.
When the Fill dialog box appears, I’ll set the Use option in the
Contents section at the top of the dialog box to Black:
Set the Use option to Black.
Click OK to exit out of the dialog box, and Photoshop
fills the document with solid black:
The document now filled with black.
This Photoshop Tutorial © 2009 Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com.
Not To Be Reproduced Or Redistributed Without Permission.
Go to Image > Canvas Size.
2
Photo Effects: Three-Image Photo Frame Template with Smart Objects
By Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com
Step 3: Add A New Blank Layer
We need to add a new blank layer. We’ll be adding a placeholder for our first image
on this new layer. Hold down your Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) key and click on the
New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel:
Hold down Alt (Win) / Option (Mac)
and click on the New Layer icon.
By holding down the Alt / Option key as we click on
the New Layer icon, we tell Photoshop to pop open
the New Layer dialog box before adding the new
layer, and we can use the dialog box to give our new
layer a name. Change the name of the new layer from
its default “Layer 1” to placeholder left:
Change the name of the new
layer to “placeholder left”.
Click OK to accept the name change and exit out of the dialog box. If we look in the
Layers panel, we can see that we now have a new blank layer named “placeholder
left” sitting above the Background layer. The checkerboard pattern in the layer
preview thumbnail to the left of the layer’s name tells us that the layer is currently
blank:
A new layer named “placeholder
left” has been added.
Step 4: Select The Rectangle Marquee Tool
Select Photoshop’s Rectangular Marquee Tool from the top of the Tools panel, or press the letter M on your
keyboard to quickly select it with the shortcut:
Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool.
With the Rectangular Marquee Tool selected, the Options Bar at the top of the screen changes to show options for the
Rectangular Marquee Tool. One of the options is Style. Change it from its default setting of Normal to Fixed Ratio, then
enter 4 for the Width and 6 for the Height. This will force the shape of the selection we’re about to draw into a 4x6 aspect
ratio, which will make it easy for us to add some 4x6 photos to the document later:
Change the Style to “Fixed Ratio”, then enter “4” for the Width and “6” for the Height.
This Photoshop Tutorial © 2009 Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com.
Not To Be Reproduced Or Redistributed Without Permission.
3
Photo Effects: Three-Image Photo Frame Template with Smart Objects
By Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com
Step 5: Draw A Rectangular Selection On The Left Side Of The Document
Drag out a rectangular selection on the left side of
the document. This is where the photo on the left
will appear. You’ll notice that as you drag out the
selection, the shape of it is constrained to the 4x6
aspect ratio we set in the Options Bar in the previous
step. If you need to reposition the selection as you’re
dragging it out, simply hold down your spacebar,
drag your mouse to move the selection into place,
then release your spacebar and continue dragging.
Make sure to leave enough room to fit two more
photos inside the document:
Click and drag out a selection around the area where the photo on the left will appear.
Step 6: Fill The Selection With Gray
Once you’ve drawn the selection, go back up to the Edit menu and choose the Fill
command again:
Go to Edit > Fill.
This time, when the Fill dialog box appears, change the Use option in
the Contents section at the top of the dialog box to 50% Gray:
This time, change the Use option to “50% Gray”.
Click OK when you’re done to exit out of the dialog
box. Photoshop fills the selection with gray. There’s
no special reason why we’ve chosen gray here.
We simply needed to fill the selection with color,
and since we’re using it only as a placeholder for
an image, gray seemed like a natural choice. Press
Ctrl+D (Win) / Command+D (Mac) to remove the
selection outline from around the shape:
Press Ctrl+D (Win) / Command+D (Mac) to remove the
selection outline once you’ve filled the selection with gray.
This Photoshop Tutorial © 2009 Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com.
Not To Be Reproduced Or Redistributed Without Permission.
4
Photo Effects: Three-Image Photo Frame Template with Smart Objects
By Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com
Step 7: Add A Thin White Stroke Around The Shape
Let’s add a thin white border around the shape. Click on the Layer Styles icon
at the bottom of the Layers panel and select Stroke from the bottom of the list of
layer styles that appears:
Click on the Layer Styles icon and select Stroke from the list.
This brings up Photoshop’s Layer Style dialog box set to the Stroke
options in the middle column. First, change the color of the stroke by
clicking on the small color swatch to the right of the word Color and
choosing white from the Color Picker when it appears. Click OK to
close out of the Color Picker when you’re done. Increase the Size
of the stroke to around 10 px (pixels), then change the Position to
Inside:
Change the color of the stroke to white, then increase the
Size to around 10 px and change the Position to “Inside”.
Once you’ve set the color, size and position of the
stroke, click OK to exit to exit out of the dialog box.
Here’s my image with the thin white border now
applied to the shape:
Layer Styles are an easy way to add simple
effects like borders to an image.
Step 8: Select The Move Tool
Select Photoshop’s Move Tool from the Tools panel, or press the letter V on your keyboard to quickly select
it with the shortcut:
Select the Move Tool.
Step 9: Drag A Copy Of The Shape Into The Center Of The Document
Press Shift+Alt (Win) / Shift+Option (Mac) and, while holding both keys down, click on your gray shape inside the
document and drag it towards the right. The Alt / Option key tells Photoshop that we want to create a copy of the shape
This Photoshop Tutorial © 2009 Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com.
Not To Be Reproduced Or Redistributed Without Permission.
5
Photo Effects: Three-Image Photo Frame Template with Smart Objects
By Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com
as we drag instead of moving the original shape, while the Shift key limits the direction that we can drag in, making it easy
to drag in a straight line towards the right.
Drag the copy into the center of the image, which
creates the placeholder for the middle photo that
we’ll be adding. Notice that the white stroke is also
copied along with the shape:
Hold down Shift+Alt (Win) / Shift+Option
(Mac) and drag a copy of the shape
into the middle of the document.
Step 10: Rename The New Layer “Placeholder Middle”
If we look in the Layers panel, we can see that the second shape has appeared
on its own layer above the original shape. Photoshop has named the new layer
“placeholder left copy”. Double-click directly on the new layer’s name and change
it to placeholder middle. Press Enter (Win) / Return (Mac) when you’re done
to accept the change:
The new shape appears on its own
layer above the original. Rename the
new layer “placeholder middle”.
Step 11: Drag Another Copy Of The Shape Into The Right Side Of The Document
Once again hold down Shift+Alt (Win) / Shift+Option
(Mac), click on the middle shape and drag a copy of it
into the right side of the document. This will become
the placeholder for the image that appears on the
right. Again, the white stroke is copied along with
the shape. Try to leave the same amount of room
between the new shape and the right edge of the
document as there is between the left shape and the
left edge of the document. Don’t worry for now if the
shapes themselves are not evenly spaced apart, as
mine clearly are not:
Try to leave an equal amount of space between the third shape and the right edge of the
document as there is between the original shape and the left edge.
This Photoshop Tutorial © 2009 Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com.
Not To Be Reproduced Or Redistributed Without Permission.
6
Photo Effects: Three-Image Photo Frame Template with Smart Objects
By Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com
Step 12: Rename The New Layer “Placeholder Right”
If we look again in the Layers panel, we can see that the third shape appears
on its own layer above the other two shapes, and Photoshop has automatically
named the new layer “placeholder middle copy”. Double-click directly on the
layer’s name and change it to placeholder right. Press Enter (Win) / Return
(Mac) to accept the change when you’re done:
Rename the new layer “placeholder right”.
Step 13: Select All Three Placeholder Layers At Once
Let’s align the three shapes so they’re spaced evenly apart. With the top layer
(“placeholder right”) already selected, hold down your Shift key and click on
the original shape’s layer (“placeholder left”) in the Layers panel. This will
select all three placeholder layers at once (you’ll see them all highlighted in
blue which tells us they’re selected):
Hold Shift and click on “placeholder left” to
select all three placeholder layers at once.
Step 14: Click The “Distribute Horizontal Centers” Icon
With all three layers selected and the Move Tool still selected, you’ll see a series of icons in the Options Bar at the top
of the screen which give us various ways to align and distribute the layers. Click on the Distribute Horizontal Centers
icon, which will space the shapes out horizontally:
Click on the “Distribute Horizontal Centers” icon in the Options Bar.
All three placeholder shapes should now be evenly
spaced in the document:
We’re ready to add some photos to the document.
We’ll do that next!
The placeholders are now spaced out evenly.
This Photoshop Tutorial © 2009 Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com.
Not To Be Reproduced Or Redistributed Without Permission.
7
Photo Effects: Three-Image Photo Frame Template with Smart Objects
By Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com
Step 15: Open The First Photo To Add To The Frame
Open the first image you want to add to the frame document. Here’s the photo
I’ll be using:
The first photo I’ll be adding to the document.
Step 16: Copy The Photo To The Clipboard
Press Ctrl+A (Win) / Command+A (Mac) to quickly select the entire photo. You’ll see a selection outline appear around
the image. Then press Ctrl+C (Win) / Command+C (Mac) to copy the image to the clipboard. You can close out of the
photo’s document window once you’ve copied the image to the clipboard.
Step 17: Select The “Placeholder Left” Layer
Switch back over to the frame document by clicking anywhere inside its document
window, then click on the placeholder left layer in the Layers panel to select it:
Select the ‘placeholder left’ layer
in the frame document.
Step 18: Paste The Photo Into The Frame Document
Press Ctrl+V (Win) / Command+V (Mac) to paste the photo into the frame document.
Photoshop will place the photo on its own layer directly above the layer that was
selected, and if we look in the Layers panel, we can see that sure enough, the photo
appears on its own layer directly above the “placeholder left” layer that we selected
in the previous step:
Pasting an image into another document places the image
on its own layer above the layer that was selected.
This Photoshop Tutorial © 2009 Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com.
Not To Be Reproduced Or Redistributed Without Permission.
8
Photo Effects: Three-Image Photo Frame Template with Smart Objects
By Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com
The only problem is that I want this photo to appear
as the left image in the frame, but at the moment, not
only is it appearing in the middle, it’s hidden behind
the middle shape due to the “placeholder middle”
layer being above the photo in the Layers panel. All I
can see of the image are the outer edges that extend
beyond the shape:
We’ve successfully added the photo to the
document, but it’s in the wrong location and
hidden behind the middle placeholder shape.
Step 19: Drag The Photo Over The “Placeholder Left” Shape
With the Move Tool still selected, click inside the
document and drag the photo towards the left until
it appears over top of the “placeholder left” shape:
Click and drag the photo over the
“placeholder left” shape.
Step 20: Create A Clipping Mask
Once the photo is over top of the “placeholder left” shape, go up to the Layer menu
at the top of the screen and select Create Clipping Mask:
Go to Layer > Create Clipping Mask.
Photoshop will “clip” the photo to the placeholder shape below it, allowing only
the area of the photo that falls within the boundaries of the shape to remain
visible. The rest of the photo that extends outside of the shape becomes hidden
from view. The white stroke around the shape is now visible once again:
The photo is now ‘clipped’ to the
placeholder shape below it.
This Photoshop Tutorial © 2009 Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com.
Not To Be Reproduced Or Redistributed Without Permission.
9
Photo Effects: Three-Image Photo Frame Template with Smart Objects
By Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com
Step 21: Resize The Photo With The Free Transform Command
Let’s resize the photo so that we can see the entire image rather than just whatever part happens to be over the
placeholder shape. Press Ctrl+T (Win) / Command+T (Mac) to quickly bring up Photoshop’s Free Transform box and
handles around the image. Even though we can only see the area of the photo that’s directly over the shape, the Free
Transform handles appear around the actual dimensions of the image. If you can’t see the Free Transform handles
because your image is so large that the edges extend out beyond the visible area of the document window, press Ctrl+0
(Win) / Command+0 (Mac) to have Photoshop zoom out until everything fits inside the document window (known as the
Fit on Screen view). Press it again when you’re done resizing the image.
Drag the Free Transform corner handles (the little squares) inward until they
line up with the corners of the placeholder shape so that both the shape and
the photo are the same size. Of course, this assumes that you’re using a photo
with the same 4x6 aspect ratio as the placeholder shape, as I am here. If your
photo uses a different aspect ratio, simply resize the image until as much of
it fits within the shape as possible. Hold down your Shift key as you drag the
handles to constrain the aspect ratio of the photo so you don’t accidentally
distort the look of it as you’re resizing it. You can reposition the photo if needed
by clicking anywhere inside the Free Transform box and dragging it around with
your mouse:
Drag the corner Free Transform handles
inward until the photo is the same
size as the placeholder shape.
When you’re done resizing the image, press Enter (Win) / Return (Mac) to
accept the transformation and exit out of the Free Transform command:
The photo is now the same size as
the placeholder shape below it.
This Photoshop Tutorial © 2009 Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com.
Not To Be Reproduced Or Redistributed Without Permission.
10
Photo Effects: Three-Image Photo Frame Template with Smart Objects
By Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com
Step 22: Add Two More Photos To The Frame
Follow the same steps to add two more photos to the frame document, one for the middle area and one for the right. First,
open the photo you want to use. Press Ctrl+A (Win) / Command+A (Mac) to select it, then Ctrl+C (Win) / Command+C
(Mac) to copy it to the clipboard. Close out of the photo’s document window once you’ve copied the image to the
clipboard. Switch back over to the frame document and click on either the placeholder middle or placeholder right layer
in the Layers panel to select it (depending on which one you’re adding the photo to).
Press Ctrl+V (Win) / Command+V (Mac) to paste the photo into the document. Photoshop will place the photo on its own
layer directly above the placeholder layer you selected. Use the Move Tool to drag the photo over top of the placeholder
shape if needed, then go up to the Layer menu at the top of the screen and choose Create Clipping Mask. Finally, press
Ctrl+T (Win) / Command+T (Mac) to bring up the Free Transform box and handles around the image. Hold down your
Shift key and drag the corner handles to resize the photo. Press Enter (Win) / Return (Mac) when you’re done to exit
out of Free Transform.
Here’s my frame document after
adding photos to the middle and
right sections:
The final three-photo result.
Step 23: Convert The Three Photos Into Smart Objects
For these remaining few steps, you’ll need Photoshop CS2 or higher to follow along. We’re going to see how easy it is to
use our final result as a template, swapping other photos in and out of the frame as needed using Smart Objects which
were first introduced in Photoshop CS2.
In the Layers panel, click on the layer than contains the first photo we added (the
one directly above the “placeholder left” layer) to select it. It should be on a layer
named “Layer 1”:
Click on “Layer 1”,
which contains the first
photo we added.
This Photoshop Tutorial © 2009 Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com.
Not To Be Reproduced Or Redistributed Without Permission.
11
Photo Effects: Three-Image Photo Frame Template with Smart Objects
By Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com
With the layer selected, Right-click (Win) / Control-click (Mac)
on the layer’s name and select Convert to Smart Object from
the menu that appears:
Choose “Convert to Smart
Object” from the menu.
Nothing will seem to have happened in the document window, but if we look in
the bottom right corner of the layer’s preview thumbnail, we can see than a
small Smart Object icon has appeared, letting us know that the photo is now
a Smart Object:
A small Smart Object
icon appears in the layer
preview thumbnail.
Do the same thing for the remaining two images (which you’ll find on “Layer 2” and “Layer 3”), first clicking on the layer
in the Layers panel, then Right-clicking (Win) / Control-clicking (Mac) on the layer’s name and choosing Convert to
Smart Object from the menu. When you’re done, all three photos should have the Smart Object icon appearing in the
bottom right corner of their layer’s preview thumbnail.
Step 24: Replace The Contents Of Each Smart Object To Add Different Photos
With all three photo layers now converted into Smart Objects,
click again on “Layer 1” in the Layers panel to select the photo
on the left, then Right-click (Win) / Control-click (Mac) once
again on the Layers name to pop open the same menu we saw
a moment ago. This time, choose Replace Contents from the
menu:
Select “Layer 1” again, then Right-click
(Win) / Control-click (Mac) and choose
“Replace Contents” from the menu.
This Photoshop Tutorial © 2009 Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com.
Not To Be Reproduced Or Redistributed Without Permission.
12
Photo Effects: Three-Image Photo Frame Template with Smart Objects
By Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com
This opens Photoshop’s Place dialog box. Navigate to the
folder on your hard drive that contains the photo you want
to replace the first image with. I have three new photos
saved in a folder on my desktop. Click on the name of the
photo you want to use, then click on the Place button:
Click on the name of the
photo, then click Place.
As soon as you click the Place button, Photoshop
swaps the original photo with the new photo in the
document! If you need to resize the new image,
press Ctrl+T (Win) / Command+T (Mac) to bring
up the Free Transform handles, then drag the
corner handles to resize it just as we did with the
original photo, holding down your Shift key as
you drag to constrain the aspect ratio. Again, if
you can’t see the handles because the image is
too large to fit inside the document window, press
Ctrl+0 (Win) / Command+0 (Mac) to switch to the
Fit on Screen view mode. Press it again when
you’re done resizing the image:
If the new image appears too large, resize it with the Free Transform command.
Press Enter (Win) / Return (Mac)
when you’re done to accept the
transformation and exit out of Free
Transform:
The left photo has been replaced.
Do the same thing for the other two photos to swap them with other images. First select the photo’s layer in the Layers
panel (“Layer 2” or “Layer 3”), then Right-click (Win) / Control-click (Mac) on the layer’s name and choose Replace
Contents from the menu that appears. When the Place dialog box pops up, choose the new photo you want to use, then
This Photoshop Tutorial © 2009 Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com.
Not To Be Reproduced Or Redistributed Without Permission.
13
Photo Effects: Three-Image Photo Frame Template with Smart Objects
By Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com
click on the Place button. If you need to resize the new image, press Ctrl+T (Win) / Command+T (Mac) and drag the
Free Transform corner handles, holding down Shift as you drag. Press Enter (Win) / Return (Mac) when you’re done
to exit out of Free Transform.
Here is my result after replacing the middle and left photos with new images:
Replacing the original images
with new ones was easy
thanks to Smart Objects!
Make sure you save the document as a Photoshop .PSD file when you’re done so you keep the layers and Smart
Objects intact, ready for the next time you need to re-open the file and add new photos!
And there we have it!
For more Adobe Photoshop tutorials, visit Photoshop Essentials.com @ www.photoshopessentials.com!
This Photoshop Tutorial © 2009 Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com.
Not To Be Reproduced Or Redistributed Without Permission.
14