Learn how to easily mask images. Turn shapes or text into frames that you can use as placeholders and fill with images. Easily replace an image by dropping another one into the frame — it automatically scales to fit.
You can create placeholder frames for images in any of the following ways:
Content placed in frames is always placed as Smart Objects so that it can be scaled non-destructively. The content automatically scales to fit the frame. You can place content in a frame in any of the following ways:
In the Layers panel, frames are represented by a Frame layer type. The frame layer displays two thumbnails - a frame thumbnail and a content thumbnail.
A. Frame thumbnail B. Content thumbnail; Smart Object linked to Libraries C. Frame layer
If you open a document with frame layers in Photoshop CC 2018 or earlier versions, the frame layer opens as a Smart Object with a vector mask over it.
Frame and its content can either be selected together or separately allowing you to transform the frame and its content independently.
A. Both the frame and its image selected B. Only the image selected (shown with transform controls enabled) C. Only the frame selected
To select both the frame and its image, do any of the following:
In this selection state, the frame and the image can be moved or transformed together.
To select only the inset image and not the frame, do any of the following:
In the selection state, the inset image can be transformed independently. Double-clicking again in this selection state reverts to selecting both the frame and its image.
To select the frame only, do any of the following:
You can now transform the frame independently.
Dropping a new image in a frame replaces its existing inset image. Do any one of the following:
Updated in Photoshop 21.2 (June 2020 release)
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