Photo Outside of Frame

Photo Outside of Frame

For a special effect, try using partial COBs or a picture that extends outside a frame.

This is a type of COB that only cuts out part of the background.

Step 1: Duplicate The Background Layer

Duplicate the Background layer Ctrl+J (Win) / Command+J (Mac). Label the new layer “background copy”.

Step 2: Add A New Blank Layer Between the two Existing Layers

Hold down Ctrl (Win) / Command (Mac) key and then click on the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette:

By holding down the Ctrl/Command key, this tells Photoshop to add the new layer below the currently selected layer in the Layers palette rather than above it, which it does by default.

Step 3: Fill The New Layer with White

Press the letter D on your keyboard to reset your Foreground and Background colors, so white is now your Background color. Then use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Backspace (Win) / Command+Delete (Mac) to fill the new layer with the Background color, which in this case is white. You won't see anything happen in the Document Window since "Background copy" is blocking the new layer from view, but if you look in the Layers palette, you'll see the thumbnail preview area for the new layer now filled with white.

Step 4: Select The Object(s) In The Photo You Want to Have Pop Out

Click back on " Background copy" in the Layers palette to select it. Then, using the quick selection tool, selection and COB it.

Step 5: Drag A Selection Around the Rest of the Photo You Want to Keep

Click back on "Background copy" in the Layers palette to select it. Then press M on your keyboard to quickly select the Rectangular Marquee Tool and drag a selection of the background that you want to have in your final photo. Copy the selected background. Make sure you select an area small enough so that some of the subject(s) you selected a moment ago will stick out, which is what's going to create our "popping out" effect.

Step 6: Add A Layer Mask

Once you've dragged out your selection, click on the Add a Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers palette:

This will add a layer mask to "Background copy", and because we had part of the layer selected, only the area inside the selection will remain visible. The rest of the photo that fell outside of the selection will now be hidden from view:

We can now see the "popping out" effect taking shape.

Step 7: Add A Stroke To "Layer 1"

We're going to make our smaller photo look more like an actual small photo by adding a border to it. To do that, with "Layer 2" still selected, click on the Layer Styles icon at the bottom of the Layers palette:

Then select Stroke from the list of Layer Styles:

This brings up Photoshop's Layer Style dialog box set to the Stroke options:

First, change the Position of the stroke to Inside. Then use the slider bar at the top to increase the Size of the stroke to give the photo a "polaroid" style border around the edge, i.e. 13 pixels. Finally, click on the Color swatch, which will bring up Photoshop's Color Picker:

Choose a light gray for your stroke color. Click OK when you're done to exit out of the Color Picker, and then click OK to exit out of the Layer Style dialog box.

Your image should now look something like this:

Step 8: Merge the Layers in the Layers Palette

Since " Background copy" is already selected, hold down your Shift key and click on layer 1 in the Layers palette to select it as well. You should now have both layers selected at once:

Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+E (Win) / Command+E (Mac) to merge both layers together so the smaller photo and the object(s) above it end up on the same layer. You'll now have just one layer instead of two:

Notice that your Stroke is no longer a separate layer style. It's now simply part of the image.

Step 9: Add A Drop Shadow to Complete the Effect

With the newly merged layer selected, click on the Layer Styles icon once again at the bottom of the Layers palette and this time, select Drop Shadow from the list:

This brings the Layer Style dialog box back up, this time set to the "Drop Shadow" options:

The default Opacity value of 75% is a bit too strong, so try lowering it to 60%. Set your Angle to 120°, Distance to 5 pixels, and finally, increase the Size of the drop shadow effect to 10 pixels. Click OK to exit out of the Layer Style dialog box, and you're done!

Save it in your H Drive/Digital 2/Photoshop#1 as POF.tiff