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Place images into frames

Easily place and resize an image within a defined shape, such as rectangle, triangle, or elliptical. You can also swap images or adjust their appearance within the frame. 

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Use the Frame tool to create a placeholder frame in a few simple steps.

Get started with the Frame Tool

The Frame Tool   comes enhanced with more shapes (rectangular, elliptical, triangle, and custom) and generative AI capabilities.

Use Generate Image   to create generated images within these shapes and easily adjust their appearance from the Contextual Task Bar.

Create placeholder frames for images using any of these ways:.

  • Draw an empty rectangular or elliptical frame on the canvas.
  • Convert a shape or text to a frame.
  • Draw a frame over a desired area of an existing image.

Draw an empty frame

  1. Select Frame Tool (K) from the toolbar.

  2. Select the shape of the frame (rectangular, elliptical, triangle, or custom) from the tool options bar.

  3. Draw a new frame on the canvas.

Convert a shape or text to a frame

  1. Use any of the shape tools to draw any shape (rectangular, elliptical, etc) or the Text tool to add text on the canvas.

  2. In the Layers panel, right-click (Win) / control-click (Mac) the shape or text layer and select Convert To Frame from the context menu. 

  3. Select OK.

Draw a frame over a desired area in an existing image

  1. Select Frame Tool (K) from the toolbar.

  2. Select your desired frame from the tool options bar.

  3. Draw the frame over a desired area in the existing image.

  4. Once the frame is drawn, the image gets masked by the frame boundaries.

    Note:

    When you draw a frame on a pixel layer or drag a pixel layer into an empty frame in the Layers panel, this layer gets converted to a smart object. 

Place an image into a frame

Follow any of these steps to place content in a frame:

  • Select and place an asset from Adobe Stock or the Libraries panel into the frame. The asset is placed as a smart object linked back to Creative Cloud Libraries by default. To get the original separated layer (not linked to Libraries), hold down alt key (Win) / option key (Mac) as you drag from the Libraries panel or use the Place Layers command in the Libraries panel.  
  • Select and place an image from your local disk into the frame. The image is placed as an embedded smart object. To create a linked smart object, hold down alt key (Win) / option key (Mac) as you drag and drop the image.
  • Select a frame. Select File > Place Linked or Place Embedded and select your desired image from the dialog box that appears. The image is placed as a linked or an embedded smart object.  
  • In the Layers panel, drag a pixel layer into an empty frame. The pixel layer is automatically converted to a smart object.  
  • Add, or generate, an image from the Contextual Task Bar.

Frame layer in the Layers panel

Frames are represented by a frame layer type in the Layers panel. The frame layer displays two thumbnails: a frame thumbnail and a content thumbnail.

Select a frame or its content

You can select a frame or its content together or separately.  

Select both frame and image

To select both the frame and its image, do any of the following:

  • Select the inset image once in the canvas.
  • Select the frame layer in the Layers panel.

In this selection state, the frame and the image can be moved or transformed together.  

Select the image

To select only the inset image, do any of the following:

  • Double-click the image from the canvas.
  • Select the content thumbnail in the frame layer from the Layers panel.

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 image.

Select the frame

To select the frame only, do any of the following:

  • In any of the selection states mentioned above, select the frame's border in the canvas area.
  • In the Layers panel, select the frame thumbnail in the frame layer.

You can now transform the frame independently.     

Replace a frame's content

To replace an existing image in a frame with a new one, do any one of the following:

  • Drag an image from the Libraries panel into the frame in the canvas area or over the frame layer in the Layers panel.
  • Drag an image from the local disk into the frame in the canvas area.
  • Select a frame or its image and use the options under Inset Image in the Properties panel: Find on Adobe Stock, Open Libraries, Place From Local Disk - Linked, or Place From Local Desk - Embedded.
  • Select a frame. Select File > Place Linked or Place Embedded and in the dialog box that appears, select an image that you want to place in the selected frame.
  • Change an image from the Contextual Task Bar.

Add stroke to a frame

  1. In the Layers panel, select the frame layer.
  2. In the Properties panel (Window > Properties), set the following under Stroke options:
    • Set frame stroke type as solid color, gradient, or pattern.
      Beginning with Photoshop 21.2, you can also set an angle to rotate the frame stroke pattern and easily change its orientation.
    • Set frame stroke width (pixels).
    • Set alignment type for stroke - inside, center, outside.
    • Adjust stroke detail from the Contextual Task Bar.

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