Description: How to make a beautiful frame using the Outline Drawing Tool
Author: Wouter Démoet.
Terms of Use: Please read
Skill Level: Beginner. I assume you know where the tools are in PhotoImpact.
Additional Files: An image of your choice or you may use mine.

NOTE: Save your work often. I suggest you read the entire tutorial, before you start. Where it reads "Rc" in this tutorial, it means right click. And if you need help, or if you have any suggestions, please don't hesitate to contact me at: wouter@demoet.nl

Open the photo in PhotoImpact. Ctrl+D to duplicate it and close the original. We will work with the duplicate.

Open a new white image of 500 x 400 pixels. Resolution: 96 pixels/inch.


Pick up the Outline Drawing Tool from the Toolbox. In the Attribute Toolbar use these settings: Shape: Ellipse. Mode: 3-D Round. Color: Any for now.


In the Tool Settings - Path panel set the Width to 3. Make sure that Anti-aliasing is checked.


Draw a shape of about 400 x 300 pixels, then right click: Properties. In the new box that opens. click the Position & Size tab, uncheck the Keep aspect ratio box and use these settings to make the shape exactly 400 x 300 pixels and click OK.


Rc.: Align - Center Both. Open your EasyPalette: Galleries -Material Attribute Gallery - Metallic - and double click on Copper 3 or any other preset of your choice.


You may close the EP now, as we won't need it anymore.

Click on the Editing button in the Attribute Toolbar to go into Path edit Mode. Click on the + sign and add 4 nodes to the path. The more irregular, the better the end results. Make sure that the Free Edit Mode button is checked.



Click on the Pick Point button on the left top of the Attribute Toolbar, then click on one of the nodes in your image and move it a bit. Repeat this for all other nodes, till your path looks similar to mine. This is not a precision job, please feel free to practise in order to create the shape you like. You cannot go wrong here. My path looks like this:


Click out of Path Edit mode to go back to 3D Round. It should look like this


Rc.: Align - Center Both. Open your Layer Manager (F3). Right click on the active layer and Duplicate. Change to the Transform Tool

and Flip the shape Horizontally. Rc.: Select All Objects. Rc.: Duplicate. Your Layer Manager should look like this:


With the two top layers selected and using the Transform Tool again.

Flip the selected objects Vertically.


Right click: Select All Objects. Right click: Merge as a Single Object. Deselect.

Your frame is ready. Let's continue with the rest.