Grungy Photo Border

Here's another technique to make your photos look a little stylish and funky by adding some cool and grungy edges to it using Photoshop.

Here's how:

Step 01.  First, we need an image to work on.  An image where we can apply our grungy border to it.  So, go to this site and download this image.

Don't worry it's free when you register and you can enjoy the many beautiful images in this site.  After downloading, run Photoshop and open this image.  As you notice, the image size is very large and so for the sake of this tutorial, I will decrease it to 480 x 640 px at 72 pixels/inch.  (Go to Image > Image Size).

Step 02.  Next, we need a texture image that we can add to our photo.   Again, go to  this link and download this image.

Like in our first photo this is also a very large image, so we need to match the image size of this to that of the first one.  Go to Image > Image Size... When the Image Size menu pops up go to Window and and go down to the bottom of the drop down menu and look for the name of the first image.  Click it.

You will notice that in the Image Size menu the pixel dimensions and the document size changed and are the same that of the first photo.  Click OK.

Step 03.  Next, press Ctrl+A to select the whole layer and press Ctrl+C to copy.

Step 04.  Go back and select your first image (yup, the first photo) and press Ctrl+V to paste.  Making our texture image being placed on top our first image.  This will automatically becomes Layer 1.    With this layer still selected, change the Blend Mode to Multiply.  This is now how our image looks like.

Step 05.  Next, we need to do some cleaning in our image.  Go to the bottom of the Layers Palette and hit the Add layer mask button.  Then, go to your Toolbox and change foreground color to black (#000000), hit the Brush Tool, select a Soft round 100pixels brush and decrease the brush Opacity to at least 50% in the Options Bar.   Then, brush.

This is the result.

Step 06.  Next, select your Background image in the Layers Palette and we'll give a good tone to this photo by adjusting the hue and saturation.  So, press Ctrl+U and when the menu pops up adjust it to your preferred settings. 

Step 07.  Then, we will add more effects to make it.  Go to Image > Adjustments > Photo Filter... and make these settings (you can also have your own settings).

Step 08.  Next, we will add another texture.  This time we will add this border image which you can download at this link.  Open this image in Photoshop.

Just like what you did to the texture image, adjust also the image size by going to Image > Image Size.... and go to Window and click on the file name of our first photo in the drop down menu.   Then in the Image Size menu click OK.

Press Ctrl+A to select the entire layer and then press Ctrl+C to copy.

Step 09.  Next, go to your first image and press Ctrl+V to paste your texture image.  After this, go to the Layers Palette and change the Blend Mode to Multiply.

Finally, this is now our finished product.

So, that's it.  Hope you enjoyed this post.