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Just as paintings and other forms of artwork are presented in carefully selected frames there is a great deal of merit in including appropriate edges or borders with your photography.
The potential impact that an edge or border can have on the image is immense. The bordering of the photo can change the entire feel of the photo and can help to focus the eye of the viewer on the image itself.
The types of borders that have been used in photography have changed over the years and the different types of borders and edges said as much about the times as the photographer themselves.
The Popularity of the Types of Borders and Edges Changed Over the Decades.
In the 1920s, Margaret Bourke-White, a legendary photographer who worked with Life magazine, was said to always insist that her photos were printed with a black border. She would ask that her photos were printed ‘to black’ which meant that the photos were printed with the clear film surrounding the image that would create a natural black edging.
However, in publications, much to her chagrin, her editors would usually crop this effect out of the finished product! It can certainly be difficult to protect your artistic vision when working in the corporate world and despite the fame and popularity of Margaret Bourke-White’s photography even she was not immune from the pressures of editors and corporate bosses in the industry!
The type of borders that were commonly used in photography changed over the years. In the 1950s, when photography was beginning to boom in popularity, it was common to have a plain and neat white border. In the 1960s there was a trend for printing photos with a crinkle edged border surrounding a black and white photo. During the 1970s photos with a cream colored silk finished edge surrounding a print gained in popularity while during the 1980s black borders resurfaced as the go to option for the public!
Edges and Borders – Make Your Own at Home!
As well as using professional bordering and edges you can create your own at home! You can use arts and crafts to create 100% personalized borders if you have a physical print of your photography. There are many ways that you can do this but whether you used colored cardboard or more adventurous materials that could even include cloth, tin foil for a space age look or a hand drawn bordering pattern do bear in mind this is a highly time consuming option.
Technological Solutions to Make Amazing Borders and Edges for Your Photography.
In the modern world you have an incredible advantage over photographers of the past because of the wide range of digital and technological solutions to a wide range of photographic techniques, and borders and edges for your work are no different.
Adobe Photoshop:
If you have been using post production software in your photography then you will be no stranger to Adobe Photoshop. This all in one post production solution is an incredible tool and you can easily create borders and edges for your photography before you print it or publish it on the net.
Adobe Photoshop has some great masking and filter options that you can use to make almost any type of frame that you can imagine. You can experiment with the borders and edges without the original image being changed.
If you choose to use Adobe Photoshop it is a good idea to record or make a note of the steps you took to achieve a certain type of border so that if you decide to use it again you will be able to quickly and easily reproduce it. This is particularly important if you are putting together an exhibition or a series of photos in which case you will usually want a uniformity of edgings throughout the work.
Excellent Online No Download Options for Creating Borders and Edges for Your Photographs.
If you want to save space on your hard drive or don’t want to download a creative editing program such as Photoshop then you can make use of online platforms to create borders and edges for your images. This is a great choice for people who want an easy and quick to learn solution.
Canva:
Canva is one of the most popular online photography platforms for editing, creating borders and edges and other basic design work. Canva is a free to use program that offers a good selection of free borders for your photography although if you want more options then you can upgrade to unlock an even better package!
Once you have signed up for a free account with Canva, then you can get started. On the Canva platform you will need to choose your border before you upload the image. To create your border for a new design you simply click on ‘Elements’ and then open ‘Frames’ to get going.
The program is super easy to use and all the options are highly intuitive. You won’t need to study tutorials to get straight down to work although if you are struggling you can easily find plenty of tips and advice on the web. You can sign up for a free 30 day trial or else sign up for the Canva Basic account which is also free.
Pizap:
This online alternative to Canva provides a good platform that allows you to add borders and edges to your images. The platform is not as powerful as rivals such as Canva however you can still create some great borders, build up collages and quickly save your work to file.
You’ll need to create a free account with Pizap in order to save your work however the platform is fun and easy to use. To create a border for your image you’ll need to click on the ‘Edit Photo’ button and then select from over 12 categories of borders. The borders are a little bit more kitsch than the choices on Canva and you’ll be able to choose from themes such as Halloween, Christmas and Birthdays!
That said though, Pizap is a great way to add to a simple white border to your photos too. You can upgrade your account to get more choices but the free selections are a great basic package to get started with. This is a useful free platform for putting borders and edges on your photos to share on social media, to send to friends and family on special occasions or just to experiment with the awesome collage options available.
Use Your Mobile Phone to Create Borders for Your Photography.
If you want to use your phone instead of your computer then there are some fantastic apps that you can quickly download to your mobile. These apps are not necessarily as versatile as the online platforms such as Canva and certainly cannot compete with software such as Adobe Photoshop, however, for fun, easy and basic borders and edges for you photos that you can add on the fly from your phone they are hard to beat!
InFrame (Available for Android and iOS)
This funky app gives you a good selection of customizable options but the central focus of the app is to help you create fun borders for your photos. It’s super easy to use and once you have your photos uploaded then you can select one of the quirky border options. After you’ve selected a frame for the picture you can change the colors and add different effects or stickers to the image!
An ideal app for fast border creations to share on social media and other online platforms! The free to download app also has a good range of photo editing tools that is modelled on the Instagram photo editor so it’s highly intuitive and you’ll soon figure out the full functionality. There are online tutorials available for the app however you really won’t need extra lessons and you’ll be creating borders and edges for your photos and, if you want, you can also play around with the filters and other tools available on the InFrame app.
Borders and Edges can be used to great effect in your photography.
Whether you are creating images for an exhibition when you will be wanting smart borders that really help to focus your viewer’s eyes on the image or you’re posting a fun birthday greetings photo on social media using a border or the right edging for your work is a great idea. If you’re working with photo prints then you can hand make borders and various types of edgings for your images however in the digital world there are a wide range of options available to you.
You can use top quality software, such as Adobe Photoshop among others, or fun online platforms such as Pizap and of course mobile apps abound for quick border creation.
Do you use borders other than the standard white borders?
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