Border / Frame

[John NX]

I'm trying to add a border to an image but I can't get the border equal all the way around the image.  I'm trying to add a 30-50px around the image, then add a further frame of perhaps 300-500px.

I've had this issue with V1 as well as V2 which I'm now using.  Previously I used Paintshop Pro and putting on a border is an absolute doddle, but I don't want to switch back & forth, it's my aim to do everything in Affinity V2.  I should mention that sometimes it seems to work, but when it doesn't I can't figure why - despite repeated attempts.

I merge visible, rasterise & trim, untick transparent border, resize canvas.  I've done both unlock and lock but on this image I'm not getting there.  I've don't mind admitting I'm a bit of a numpty with PC's but any guidance would be most welcome, once I've cracked it I can remove Paintshop Pro.

IMG_8048 FORUM.afphoto

[h_d]

You'll need to start from scratch with an image that doesn't have an existing border (as yours does, even the cr2 layer).

When you Resize Canvas the default is to resize proportionally. If you want to add an equal (absolute) number of pixels to each edge of the image then you need to turn this off. In the Resize Canvas dialog, click the chain icon to unlink the two dimensions.

For a 30px border: click into both of the fields in turn and type +60  (that's 30 * 2) into each one, after the existing dimensions. Make sure the Anchor is centred. Click Resize. This will add the same number of pixels to each edge:

 

 

(My screen grab shows the input for the first field. You need to fill with the same +value in both.)

 

This will give you an extended canvas with an equal number of pixels (30) all round. You can then create a rectangle or fill layer behind the image layer which will extend 30 pixels on each edge (that's 60/2).

 

 

[v_kyr]

There are basically two common ways here via APh ...

• either you precalculate including the needed borders sizes the needed document size and setup it by creating a new document (image w x h size plus border around sizes = the document size to setup/create) and loading afterwards the image centered in
• or you load the image first in and then resize the document/canvas to the needed bigger sizes so the frames (rectangles) can be applied

... in either way follow h_d's above shown center anchor point and value insertion usage in the transform panel.

 

 

[h_d]

11 minutes ago, v_kyr said:

.. in either way follow h_d's above shown center anchor point and value insertion usage in the transform panel.

And uncheck the proportional chain between the two dimensions.

The graphic/icon/logo/whatever isn't at all clear but you have to break the chain between the two dimensions.

Edited February 11, 2023 by h_d
Too many typos

[John NX]

I'm going to undo as much as I can (edit - undo) and try again.  If necessary I'll get a fresh copy of the CR2 file and edit it like the example.  And keep my fingers crossed.

I've tried unlocking and manually calculating the new frame size and entering that in the boxes, and I've even tried leaving it locked and entering a calculated figure in the first box.  Often, the first method works to a degree but might be a little off centre.  Sufficent for facebook etc., but not for a club competition.

I'll try entering the sizes in both boxes as per h_d's suggestion and let you know how I get on.  If anyone has something to add to the mix please do.

P.S., Whatever was wrong with the padlock in V1, much easier to see.  I'd never cottoned on to it being a broken chain link.

[h_d]

44 minutes ago, John NX said:

Whatever was wrong with the padlock in V1, much easier to see.  I'd never cottoned on to it being a broken chain link.

👍

[John NX]

Sad to say I'm failing miserably.  It's not working (for this image at least) on my PC.  Just going to set up the laptop on top of the SFF so I've got two screens to view and hopefully further reduce the chance of any mistakes.  This morning I tried it on the image posted previously, and on a new copy developed from the CR2 file.  Same result.

In the end I went back to Paintshop Pro2022.  2 clicks 30 seconds done perfectly.  I'll carry on through the weekend and try a different image, and I've also asked the club if a member has AFFINITY 2 on a laptop and can show me how to do it - because I'm missing something here.  I'll keep you updated.

There is another frame around this - it just happens to be the same colour as the forum background.

[v_kyr]

5 hours ago, John NX said:

Sad to say I'm failing miserably.  It's not working (for this image at least) on my PC. ...

Not sure where your overall difficulties are here, since it's usually pretty simple to perform those operations. - However maybe a short recorded Macro might help here ...

• add-frames.afmacro

... the above shown macro when loaded into the "Macro panel" (accessable via "Studio -> View -> Macro") and then executed performs ...

1. A canvas resize, adds 60 px (image width + 30 px, and image height + 30 px)
2. Then adds a new empty pixel layer and moves that down below the background image
3. Fills the pixel layer with a red tone floodfill color
4. Resizes again the canvas, this time adds 600 px (actual image width + 300 px, and actual image height + 300 px)
5. Then adds again new empty pixel layer and moves that again down in the layer stack
6. Fills the pixel layer with a pinkish tone floodfill color

 

The whole takes me 10 seconds to do at best!

You can place that Macro into the Library of Macros, so you have it always accessable when needed and execute all by just one Click. - Further you can change the frame colors by filling the selected pixel layers with some other choosen color afterwards.

[v_kyr]

6 hours ago, John NX said:

... because I'm missing something here

I show you here quickly in a screenrecording one way of how you can do it in APh, with 2x canvas resize and 2x applying a pixel layer which you then can fill with any color you want. - I've done & used basically the same steps for the above shown Macro, where I just recorded the performed steps in a macro.

The first frame added has again a setup canvas width + 30 px, canvas height + 30 px and the second one then actual canvas width + 300 px, actual canvas height + 300 px ...

[firstdefence]

If you know the sizes you want the borders to be you can create Rectangle Assets of the correct dimensions that you can simply drag in. If you group the rectangles you have a very quick way to add borders. 

Lets say you regularly have images 3210px x 5134px and you want a slim border of 50px and a larger Matte of 500px, once you have created your rectangles or pixel layers with these added dimensions you can group them, give the group an understandable name and then add these as an asset that you can simply drag into the next image and centre vertically and horizontally, then Document > Unclip Canvas to reveal the border and matte.

You do the work once and save as an asset so you can easily repeat.

If you invariably have odd sized photos then the asset route is probably not helpful but if you have consistent sizes you use regularly I'd look at Asset step as a benefit.

Border and Matte Sets.afassets There is only one border and matte set in these assets for the image above.

 

[John NX]

What bugs me is that sometimes it works O.K.  Sometimes it produces an off centre border, but I can usually correct this by undoing several steps and redoing.  This off centre border is really noticeable with thinner frames where a little error is considerably magnified. 

I have a form of dyslexia ("an analogue brain in a digital world" said the specialist) and I'll often get stuck as I can't 'see' a logical path out.  And perhaps that's where I am now, repeating the same mistake but not seeing it.  The macro's seem straightforward but I can't keep up with them.  I'll try viewing those later on the laptop.  🤞🤞.

Just to show I can do it (sometimes) here's an image from a few weeks ago.  Why it's not working with the flower image I don't know.

 

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, John NX said:

Sometimes it produces an off centre border...

It sounds like you did not click on the center anchor in the Resize Canvas dialog. Look carefully at about 3:08 in the video @v_kyr posted to see how he changed that from the top left to the center anchor.

[firstdefence]

Do you print these image out or are they purely for digital display?

On the Tulip flower image, the canvas has been resized with a border wider at the top and bottom than at the sides, it's a fixable mistake.

1. Select the Move tool (V), select the rectangle layer and the CR2 layer and delete them.
2. Select the pixel layer and from the top menu and go to Document > Clip Canvas  
3. Now you are back at the start, so add a rectangle the size of the document, so that the rectangle edges snap to the edges of the document.
4. With the rectangle layer selected, go to the Transform Panel from here we can resize the rectangle by using +100 to the W: and H: to get a border that is 50px wide all around.
   1. 
   2. 
5. This will size the rectangle correctly and as others have mentioned make sure the centre marker is selected  and the ratio link is disabled so you get an even resize left and right, top and bottom when you enter the +100 in each W: and H: input box.
6. Now all you have to do is use Document > Unclip Canvas to show the border.
7. To get the Matte do the same process from step 3. through to step 6.

[John NX]

I'd just like to thank all who have posted replies.  But it's still not working for me.  Someone at the club the other night has occasionally had a similar problem and has got around it by exporting the edited file and then reopening to put on the frame(s).  I'm going to give this a try, and if it doesn't work I'll give up for a while, frustration is getting the better of me.

I've gone through the methods above but I cannot garanttee to get a porportinally correct border on an image.  It may that whatever is happening is happening on all my frames but appears more noticeable on thin frames.

Looks like I'll be keeping Paintshop Pro for a while yet.

[v_kyr]

1 hour ago, John NX said:

... But it's still not working for me. ...

Hard to tell why it isn't working for you here, especially just from textual descriptions alone it's often not obvious what steps you performed here and where it then failed. - Thus if you can record a screencast which shows how you are opening an image in APh and what steps you then perform to add the borders, somebody here from the forum can take a closer look and probably then tell you why things don't work as expected here!

[John NX]

I assume a screencast is what you posted earlier.  I'll have to see if one of my sprogs knows what's involved, and can advise.  I very much appreciate your continued interest in my problem / shortcoming / issue?

Otherwise I'll have to do some research.

[v_kyr]

1 hour ago, John NX said:

I assume a screencast is what you posted earlier.

Yes, it's a recording video of the on screen activity (an app or the whole screen etc.). - I assume you are on a Windows system (?), AFAIK on Win there isn't a default good one provided by the Windows OS itself (beside the Xbox game bar way so far). Thus I would suggest you better take an easier to use third party one instead. An easy to handle one is for example Monosnap here, which is free to use for non commercial single users. - Though there are also a bunch (a mass) of other such screenrecorder tools (...freeware/opensource and commercial ones). Use some screenrecorder which can write out it's recording then in the MP4 format, so you can include/apply that recording than easily into your forum postings here.

[AnaDia]

Hi John NX,

Do you still have the framing problem? I gave it a try, too. I downloaded your  initial afphoto file. First I saw, that the canvas hasn't been unclipped. So maybe, one of the essential problems could be, that you maybe didn't resize the canvas. What I did now...

- Delete the rectange and pixel layer
- Resize the canvas by adding 660px to width and hight (2x30+2x300). See also screenshot 1a. 
- Then using the "fx" effects on the CR2 layer to add two frames to the layer. See screenshots 1b and 1c. But this is only one way to get the frames. For sure you can use two rectangle layers instead and there are maybe more ways to do it 🙂

I also attached the modified afphoto file (AP Photo V2).

 

IMG_8048 FORUM_v1.afphoto