# How to place picture inside a border?



## Kevin_B (Apr 7, 2010)

I have a jpeg of a christmas border with green ribbons around the border and a white inside. I also have a picture of a wintry scene. I would like to superimpose the border around the wintry scene, so the ribbons and the bells show above the picture.

How do I do this using Photoshop CS5? I have attached the 2 pictures.

Thanks,

Kevin


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## d0ubledown (Dec 4, 2007)

if the border is a single layered file ie: jpg, you'll have to extract/remove the white bg. easiest way would be:

-have both images open in PS

-on the border image: double click the background layer in your layers palette (F7 to toggle layers palette) to unlock it and make it an editable layer. 

-use magic wand tool, with a low tolerance (0 will do) to ensure its just the white colour being removed and not any other colour. shift+click white areas to select the white areas

-once all white areas have marching ants (meaning selected), hit delete. this will remove the white, and you should see grey/white checkered area indicating alpha/transparent areas. 

-using move tool (v), click on green border & drag the it over to the other image. most likely it will need resizing...so

-with the green border targeted in the layers palette, free transform (command+T, hold shift while grabbing a corner anchor to resize)

-do any edits to the winter scene pic if needed

-save as .psd, (i always do when creating a new image, just in case you need to further edit)

-flatten, then save as new .jpg. 

done!


lee


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## ChilBear (Mar 20, 2005)

Change it from jpg - jpg by default is a white background. A couple of solutions to the white background but easiest is use the wand to select the centre and remove. Add layer and place the photo.


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## eMacMan (Nov 27, 2006)

Probably easier to start with the photo as the base layer. Add the border layer then do the wand white select thing and delete the white from the border layer allowing the photo to show through.

As always work with duplicates. That way you can make all sorts of blunders and still have the original images intact.


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## winwintoo (Nov 9, 2004)

Where did you get the border image? See if you can get it in .png format. .png preserves the transparent parts of the image so when you bring it in to photoshop, you can place it on a layer above the other image and see the picture through it.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

ChilBear said:


> Change it from jpg - jpg by default is a white background. A couple of solutions to the white background but easiest is use the wand to select the centre and remove. Add layer and place the photo.


Yep that is pretty much it...

Except if you want to remove the outside white around the garland and then just do the same as ChilBear suggested to get rid of the white on the outside as well. 

Select it and delete it.

If you could post larger versions of the images involved I would be willing to show you step by step but these images are just too small to show you anything really constructive.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

winwintoo said:


> Where did you get the border image? See if you can get it in .png format. .png preserves the transparent parts of the image so when you bring it in to photoshop, you can place it on a layer above the other image and see the picture through it.


What you say is true winwintoo, find a png file with a transparency (they don't all necessarily have a transparency in them depending on who created it) but if he can't then ChilBear's process is the one to go with.

png transparencies are still not universal across all browsers, but those that don't accept the transparency are (thankfully) becoming fewer and farther in-between.


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