Photoshop - How to Create Different Brick Borders Around Your Photos

Photoshop allows you to create many different borders for your photos. In this tutorial I will show you how to create three different types of brick borders. The first part of this tutorial is written for beginners. I know how frustrated I was when I was trying to learn Photoshop and couldn't understand what the tutorials were saying. So I have broken this tutorial down and explained it step by step for beginners. If you are not a beginner then please skip down to the Advanced Part of this tutorial. You can use any photo that you wish to add the brick borders to.

How to Create Different Brick Borders Around Your Photos in Photoshop for Beginners

Brick Border 1 - See Image One for the Ending Result

Open your Photoshop program. Create a new file by clicking File > New at the top of your Photoshop window. Click File > Open to open the photo that you want to use. Once you have located your file on your hard drive, click on the file and then click Open. Now you should see your photo in your Photoshop window.

Look for your Layers Panel. If you do not see your Layers Panel, click on Window > Layers at the top of your Photoshop window. That will bring your Layers Panel up. In your Layers Panel you will see three tabs. Click on the Channel Tab. At the bottom you will see a little icon that looks like a sheet of paper with the corner curled. Click on that to create a New Channel. The New Channel will be name Alpha 1. When you create your New Channel your photo will turn black so don't panic.

Select your Rectangular Marquee Tool in your Toolbar. It is the first icon in your toolbar. If you see a circle then click the circle and hold it down until the box drop down. Then click on the Rectangular Marquee Tool. Now draw a rectangle around your photo. Make sure that you leave enough room between your rectangle and the edge for your border to show.

Now click on Select > Inverse at the top of your Photoshop window or press Shift + CTRL + I. Now you will see two rectangles around your photo.

Select the color that you want the border to be by changing the Foreground color. The Foreground color is the color on top in your Toolbar.

Next click Edit > Fill at the top of your Photoshop window. When the Fill dialog box pops up just click OK. Now the place where your border is going to be, will be the foreground color that you chose.

Click Select > Deselect at the top of your Photoshop window or press CTRL + D. That will deselect your photo.

Click Filter > Artistic > Underpainting at the top of your Photoshop Window. The Underpainting dialog box will appear. Enter the following information in the fields.

Brush Size - 10
Texture Coverage - 25
Texture - Brick
Scaling - 100%
Relief - 4
Light - Top
Invert - unchecked

Click OK once you have entered the above information in the fields.

Click on the RGB Channel in your Channels Panel. It should be the first channel in your panel. You will see your original photo.

Now click Select > Load Selection at the top of your Photoshop window. Click OK when the Load Selection box appears.

Click Edit > Fill at the top of your Photoshop window. Now click Select > Deselect at the top of your Photoshop window. If the color that you chose for your border doesn't look right then click Edit > Step Backward twice and then change the color of your Foreground color. Then click Edit > Fill, then Select > Deselect.

Please see Image 1 to see how the out come should look.

How to Create Different Brick Borders Around Your Photos in Photoshop for Beginners

Brick Border 2 - See Image Two for the Ending Result

Open your Photoshop program. Create a new file by clicking File > New at the top of your Photoshop window. Click File > Open to open the photo that you want to use. Once you have located your file on your hard drive, click on the file and then click Open. Now you should see your photo in your Photoshop window.

Look for your Layers Panel. If you do not see your Layers Panel, click on Window > Layers at the top of your Photoshop window. That will bring your Layers Panel up. In your Layers Panel you will see three tabs. Click on the Channel Tab. At the bottom you will see a little icon that looks like a sheet of paper with the corner curled. Click on that to create a New Channel. The New Channel will be name Alpha 1. When you create your New Channel your photo will turn black so don't panic.

Select your Rectangular Marquee Tool in your Toolbar. It is the first icon in your toolbar. If you see a circle then click the circle and hold it down until the box drop down. Then click on the Rectangular Marquee Tool. Now draw a rectangle around your photo. Make sure that you leave enough room between your rectangle and the edge for your border to show.

Now click on Select > Inverse at the top of your Photoshop window or press Shift + CTRL + I. Now you will see two rectangles around your photo.

Select the color that you want the border to be by changing the Foreground color. The Foreground color is the color on top in your Toolbar.

Next click Edit > Fill at the top of your Photoshop window. When the Fill dialog box pops up just click OK. Now the place where your border is going to be, will be the foreground color that you chose.

Click Select > Deselect at the top of your Photoshop window or press CTRL + D. That will deselect your photo.

Click Filter > Artistic > Rough Pastels at the top of your Photoshop Window. The Rough Pastels dialog box will appear. Enter the following information in the fields.

Stroke Length - 30
Stroke Distance - 5
Texture - Brick
Scaling - 70%
Relief - 30%
Light - Bottom
Invert - unchecked

Click OK once you have entered the above information in the fields.

Click on the RGB Channel in your Channels Panel. It should be the first channel in your panel. You will see your original photo.

Now click Select > Load Selection at the top of your Photoshop window. Click OK when the Load Selection box appears.

Click Edit > Fill at the top of your Photoshop window. Now click Select > Deselect at the top of your Photoshop window. If the color that you chose for your border doesn't look right then click Edit > Step Backward twice and then change the color of your Foreground color. Then click Edit > Fill, then Select > Deselect.

Please see Image 2 to see how the out come should look.

How to Create Different Brick Borders Around Your Photos in Photoshop for Beginners

Brick Border 3 - See Image Three for the Ending Result

Open your Photoshop program. Create a new file by clicking File > New at the top of your Photoshop window. Click File > Open to open the photo that you want to use. Once you have located your file on your hard drive, click on the file and then click Open. Now you should see your photo in your Photoshop window.

Look for your Layers Panel. If you do not see your Layers Panel, click on Window > Layers at the top of your Photoshop window. That will bring your Layers Panel up. In your Layers Panel you will see three tabs. Click on the Channel Tab. At the bottom you will see a little icon that looks like a sheet of paper with the corner curled. Click on that to create a New Channel. The New Channel will be name Alpha 1. When you create your New Channel your photo will turn black so don't panic.

Select your Rectangular Marquee Tool in your Toolbar. It is the first icon in your toolbar. If you see a circle then click the circle and hold it down until the box drop down. Then click on the Rectangular Marquee Tool. Now draw a rectangle around your photo. Make sure that you leave enough room between your rectangle and the edge for your border to show.

Now click on Select > Inverse at the top of your Photoshop window or press Shift + CTRL + I. Now you will see two rectangles around your photo.

Select the color that you want the border to be by changing the Foreground color. The Foreground color is the color on top in your Toolbar.

Next click Edit > Fill at the top of your Photoshop window. When the Fill dialog box pops up just click OK. Now the place where your border is going to be, will be the foreground color that you chose.

Click Select > Deselect at the top of your Photoshop window or press CTRL + D. That will deselect your photo.

Click Filter > Sketch > Conte' Crayon at the top of your Photoshop Window. The Conte' Crayon dialog box will appear. Enter the following information in the fields.

Foreground Level - 15
Background Level - 15
Texture - Brick
Scaling - 145%
Relief -6
Light - Top
Invert - unchecked

Click OK once you have entered the above information in the fields.

Click on the RGB Channel in your Channels Panel. It should be the first channel in your panel. You will see your original photo.

Now click Select > Load Selection at the top of your Photoshop window. Click OK when the Load Selection box appears.

Click Edit > Fill at the top of your Photoshop window. Now click Select > Deselect at the top of your Photoshop window. If the color that you chose for your border doesn't look right then click Edit > Step Backward twice and then change the color of your Foreground color. Then click Edit > Fill, then Select > Deselect.

Please see Image 3 to see how the out come should look.

Basically all the steps stay the same in each one except for the following.

Click Filter > Sketch > Conte' Crayon at the top of your Photoshop Window. The Conte' Crayon dialog box will appear. Enter the following information in the fields.

Foreground Level - 15
Background Level - 15
Texture - Brick
Scaling - 145%
Relief -6
Light - Top
Invert - unchecked

This is where you will change the filters and stuff to get the different types of borders. If you have any problems with the brick borders in Photoshop, please feel free to contact me using the contact button at the top of this page.

How to Create Different Brick Borders Around Your Photos in Photoshop for the Advance

Brick Border 1 - See Image One for the Ending Result

Step 1 - Create a New File.

Step 2 - Open the photo that you want to use.

Step 3 - Create a New Channel.

Step 4 - Draw a Rectangle around your photo using the Rectangular Marquee Tool.

Step 5 - Click Select > Inverse

Step 6 - Select your Foreground color for your border.

Step 7 - Click Edit > Fill

Step 8 - Click Select > Deselect

Step 9 - Filter > Artistic > Underpainting

Enter the following options.

Brush Size - 10
Texture Coverage - 25
Texture - Brick
Scaling - 100%
Relief - 4
Light - Top
Invert - unchecked
Click OK

Step 10 - Click on the RGB Channel in the Channel Panel.

Step 11 - Click Select > Load Selection

Step 12 - Click Select > Deselect.

How to Create Different Brick Borders Around Your Photos in Photoshop for the Advance

Brick Border 2 - See Image Two for the Ending Result

Step 1 - Create a New File.

Step 2 - Open the photo that you want to use.

Step 3 - Create a New Channel.

Step 4 - Draw a Rectangle around your photo using the Rectangular Marquee Tool.

Step 5 - Click Select > Inverse

Step 6 - Select your Foreground color for your border.

Step 7 - Click Edit > Fill

Step 8 - Click Select > Deselect

Step 9 - Filter > Artistic > Rough Pastels

Enter the following options.

Stroke Length - 30
Stroke Distance - 5
Texture - Brick
Scaling - 70%
Relief - 30%
Light - Bottom
Invert - unchecked
Click OK

Step 10 - Click on the RGB Channel in the Channel Panel.

Step 11 - Click Select > Load Selection

Step 12 - Click Select > Deselect.

How to Create Different Brick Borders Around Your Photos in Photoshop for the Advance

Brick Border 3 - See Image Three for the Ending Result

Step 1 - Create a New File.

Step 2 - Open the photo that you want to use.

Step 3 - Create a New Channel.

Step 4 - Draw a Rectangle around your photo using the Rectangular Marquee Tool.

Step 5 - Click Select > Inverse

Step 6 - Select your Foreground color for your border.

Step 7 - Click Edit > Fill

Step 8 - Click Select > Deselect

Step 9 - Filter > Sketch > Conte' Crayon

Enter the following options.

Foreground Level - 15
Background Level - 15
Texture - Brick
Scaling - 145%
Relief -6
Light - Top
Invert - unchecked
Click OK

Step 10 - Click on the RGB Channel in the Channel Panel.

Step 11 - Click Select > Load Selection

Step 12 - Click Select > Deselect.