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This lesson demonstrates how to create photographic edges using Photoshop’s Distort filters. The image I am working with can be found Here. Unzip the file and open it onto Photoshop’s workspace.
My lesson Here demonstrates how to create photographic edges using the Quick Mask Tool, and my lesson Here demonstrates how to utilise ready-made greyscale masks.
Undo and Navigation Steps
Two ways of undoing steps are from the top menu, Edit then Step Backwards. Alternatively, click a previous snapshot in the History Palette.
Navigate (zoom in and pan) your image using the Navigator Palette,
or the Zoom Tool. 
Activate The Hand Tool by tapping the Spacebar, keeping the Spacebar pressed, pan your image in the usual way. 
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Open a photograph onto Photoshop’s workspace, and if necessary - reduce its size, as explained Here.
Minimise the photograph - or put it to one side.
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Now, open a New document and set the following attributes. Set a Resolution of 300 if you are printing your work.
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Then change the Foreground colour to Black by pressing your D key.
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Then activate the Paint Bucket Tool. 
And left-click over the transparent canvas to fill it with solid black.
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Now, from the top menu, choose Layer then choose New then choose Background from Layer.
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Then from the top menu, choose Image then choose Canvas Size. To apply a White border change the Canvas extension colour to White. You can create a larger, or smaller border, by changing the Width and Height attributes.
Coloured Edges
For coloured edges - instead of choosing white (as above), select Other....
A Colour Picker dialogue box will appear, enabling you to choose a solid colour of your choice
Click OK and your border will be applied.
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Activate the Magic Wand Tool and click inside the white border, this surrounds it with a marquee.
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Then from the top menu, choose Filter then Distort, then Glass. I set the following attributes - however, for personal results, experiment with different glass settings.
Note
Filters render depending the canvas’s size.
 
This is an alternative glass setting - utilising the Tiny Lens Texture.
 
Tip
Whilst the marquee remains, experiment with different filters to create your edges - especially the Distort filters.
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When you like the look of your edge, from the top menu, choose Select then choose Deselect. This removes the marquee. (As does pressing Ctrl then D).
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Activate your original photograph. 
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Now, because the edge image is portrait, and the swan photograph is landscape, we need to change the edge to landscape. Ensure the edge image in active, then from the top menu, choose Image then choose Rotate Canvas then choose 90 CW - (anticlockwise).
Your edge will rotate to a landscape position. 
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Now, activate the Move Tool, and drag the edge image onto the photograph. Depending on the size of your photograph, the edge will either be too large, or too small - my edge is too large.
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To resize the edge, ensure it remains active, then from the top menu, choose Edit then choose Free Transform. Your edge will immediately surrounded with a transformation box.
By manipulating the tiny rectangles that surround the transformation box, you are able to reposition and resize your edge, so it fits the photograph, exactly.
Transformation Tool Lesson.
 
When the edge fits your photograph, exactly, click the Commit Transform tick on the options bar.  Or press your Return/Enter key.
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Now, from the Layers palette, ensure the edge layer is active, then change the layer’s Mode from Normal to Screen.
Changing the Mode to Screen, renders black pixels, transparent.
Fading the white edge
To fade your white edge, from the Layers palette, lower the edge’s Opacity.
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When you have experimented with different filters, and you are happy with your result - from the top menu, choose Layer then choose Flatten Image.
Wendi E M Scarth. Top of Page - Home.
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