Framing Haiga Images

Framing and Adding Text to Haiga Compositions
Ray Rasmussen

This lesson assumes that you want to add a frame around an image and place the text of your haiku either in the frame or on the image. The end result will look like the haiga images on this website: End Result

And, the methods on this page can be used to produce a variety of different framing styles. Some styles that I find attractive are found on this website: Framing Styles

A premise of this website is that framing and font type and placement is as important to the haiga composition as the image itself and the haiku.

1. Open photoshop

2. Open your original image and save a copy.

Never work with your one and only original image.

The image I'm working with in this lesson is named "snowscene.jpg". If you want to look at it, click here: [snowscene.jpg]. And, if you want to follow this lesson using my image, click on the snowscene.jpg image and download it to your desktop.

In photoshop, go to the FILE MENU -> select SAVE AS. In the dialogue box, rename the file [e.g., snowscene-copy.jpg] and save it as a .psd file. This is the copy you will work on.

3. Modify the image [color, blemishes, etc.].

This is the subject of other lessons and won't be dealt with here. Some ideas can be found on this website [photoshop lessons].

Make whatever modifications of the image you wish to make, e.g., shifts in color, elimination of blemishes, etc. But, do NOT add text at this point.

4. Resize the copy.

Good sizes for the Internet are between 400 and 600 pixels width and 400 - 500 pixels height. Resolution should be 72 ppi. You can do all this with the IMAGE MENU -> select IMAGE SIZE. In the dialogue box, change the height, width and resolution. Note: you will have to play a bit with the three setting boxes in the dialogue box which looks like this: image size dialogue box

5. Add an inner boundary frame.

I like to add a 2 pixel inner frame to contrain [or set the edges] of the image. In doing so, you have to first select the color of the inner frame. Some folks like to use a color that is similar to the key color in an element of the image being framed. For example, in this image [leaves] I've used a blue inner frame to mirror the bluein the tree trunk. And, in this image [shrub], I've used a gray that mirrors the gray in the shrub. And, here [tiger lily] I've used a red-orange to mirror the color of the flower.

Use the eyedropper tool [eyedropper] to select the color of the inner boundary frame. The left box is the foreground color. The right, lower box is the background color. The double headed arrow allows you to switch back and forth.

I'm framing a black and white image, and I've selected black as the background color for my inner frame.

To set the background color, use the eyedropper and click on the color in the image you want for the inner frame. That will put the color into the foreground color box. Click on the double headed curved arrow and it will switch your select color to the background color box.

Go to the IMAGE MENU -> select CANVAS SIZE. This will give you the canvas size dialogue box. [canvas size]. Leave the 'relative' box unchecked, and change the width and heights to correspond to the size of the inner frame/boundary that you want. I want a 2 pixel boundary, so I will add 4 pixels to width and 4 pixels to height. And, here's how my image looks at this point [snowscene with inner border].

6. Add an outer border [or in photographic art work terms, the mat].

I like to use a fairly large mat, of about 100 pixels on sides, top and bottom. I also like to make the bottom larger than the top and sides so that I can place text at the bottom of the image [some folks like to place text directly on the image in which case you need only to make the top and bottom and sides the same mat size.

Method A: Add a 100 pixel mat to top, bottom, sides.

* go to the SELECT MENU -> choose SELECT ALL [this will select both the new inner frame and the image for copying].

* go to the EDIT MENU -> choose COPY [this will copy the bordered image]

* go to the FILE MENU -> choose NEW. This will bring up a dialogue box. My original image was 500x360 pixels. The modified image with an inner border is now 504 x 364 pixels [remember, we added to pixels to each side and top and bottom of the image]. Thus, my new dialogue box looks like this: [new dialogue box]. To create a 50 pixel mat on each side, I merely change the 504 to 704 and the 364 to 564. This makes a new photoshop window appear. Note that it is untitled. I now paste the copied image into this window and this produces a 100 pixel white border on all sides and top and bottom. go to EDIT MENU -> choose PASTE. I now have two images open, the original 'snowscene-copy.psd' and a new image that is untitled. Name this "snowscene-copy2.psd". Here's what it looks like [snowscene-copy2.psd]. Note that the layers box to the right of the image, now has two layers: Layer 1 is the image with the 2 pixel border. Layer 2 is a white background which has framed the original image with 100 pixels on a side.

* the next step is to add a color or texture to the white border, if desired. let's begin by adding a light gray to the outer border. Use the eyedropper to select a color from the image itself. This will make the desired mat color appear in the foreground color box. Next, go to the layers window and clock on the white background. Then go to the EDIT MENU -> choose FILL. A dialogue box comes up, and select "Foreground Color".

* suppose you'd like to add a texture to the 100 pixel mat. Go to the FILTERS MENU -> choose TEXTURES -> choose TEXTURIZER. Note that you will get a dialogue box that allows you to select Brick, Burlap, Canvas, Sandstone and that alsow allows you to alter the settings on the scaling, relief, and light direction. Play with these until you get the effect that you want. I usually like something like: sandstone, scaling = 55%, relief = 2. My image now looks like this [framed snowscene].

But, alas, there's very little room for adding text ... so now let's repeat the process above, but make the bottom border of the mat larger, so that there is room for text.

Method A: Add a 100 pixel mat to top, bottom, sides.

* go to the SELECT MENU -> choose SELECT ALL [this will select both the new inner frame and the image for copying].

* go to the EDIT MENU -> choose COPY [this will copy the bordered image]

* go to the FILE MENU -> choose NEW. This will bring up a dialogue box. My original image was 500x360 pixels. The modified image with an inner border is now 504 x 364 pixels [remember, we added to pixels to each side and top and bottom of the image]. Thus, my new dialogue box looks like this: [new dialogue box]. To create a 100 pixel mat on each side, I merely change the 504 to 704 and the 364 to 564. This makes a new photoshop window appear. Note that it is untitled. I now paste the copied image into this window and this produces a 100 pixel white border on all sides and top and bottom. go to EDIT MENU -> choose PASTE. I now have two images open, the original 'snowscene-copy.psd' and a new image that is untitled. Name this "snowscene-copy2.psd". Here's what it looks like [snowscene-copy2.psd]. Note that the layers box to the right of the image, now has two layers: Layer 1 is the image with the 2 pixel border. Layer 2 is a white background which has framed the original image with 100 pixels on a side.

But, alas, there's very little room for adding text ... so now let's repeat the process above, but make the bottom border of the mat larger, so that there is room for text.

Method B: Add a mat of 100 pixels to top & sides. and 200 pixels to the bottom.

* go to the SELECT MENU -> choose SELECT ALL [this will select both the new inner frame and the image for copying].

* go to the EDIT MENU -> choose COPY [this will copy the bordered image]

* go to the FILE MENU -> choose NEW. To create a 100 pixel mat on each side and top and 200 pixels on the bottom, I change the 504 to 704 [as before] but now I change the the 364 to 614 [instead of 564 as above in Method A]. This makes a new photoshop window appear. As before, I now paste the copied image into this window. go to EDIT MENU -> choose PASTE. However, the image will be pasted in dead center. So, now I have to move the pasted image up. To do this I click on the move tool and either drag the image to where I want it or use my arrow keys to move the image. The arrow keys are more accurate. Here's what the move tool looks like: [move tool]. And, here's how my moved image looks [image with asymetrical white mat]

* as before, the next step is to add a color or texture to the white border, if desired. Here's what my new image looks like with a colored, but untextured, mat. [colored mat image]. Note that the layers window again has two layers, an image layer and a background layer.

7. Adding a Text Layer:

Now it's time to add a haiku text. I wish I had a good one for this image, but bear with me, this lesson isn't about haiku composition, my weakness, but about image making in photoshop.

* use the eyedropper tool to select a font color. I usually select a color that is found in the image. In this black white image, the choice is easy because I want a darker grey to write over the lighter gray mate. Perhaps even a black. If I seleect the eyedropper and click on any of the sticks, I'll get a dark gray, but not black, color in the foreground color box. Here's what my color box now looks like. [gray foreground color box]

* click on the TEXT TOOL, select a font and font size, and now you can type your font onto the image and mat. Don't worry about positioning yet, because you can always move the font and change it's size and color later and font type. You can do this because the font/text will have it's own independent third layer.

Here's what my image now looks like with a haiku added: [image with inner frame, mat, text]. Note that in my layers window, there is now a third layer with a large "T". This is the text layer. Also note that I've selected a font named "Caflish Script Pro", Regular, Size 30 pt, smooth, left aligned, and dark gray.

The beauty of photoshop is that I can at any time return to this .psd image and modify tmodify the text font, color, size, positioning. In fact, if you've succeeded in placing a font on your practice image, try now clicking on that big "T" in the layers window and then modify the font type, size, color, alignment.

I can also click on the background layer in the layers window and modify the backgrond color and texture.

8. Saving your image as a jpg file.

At this point you should save your psd file. But, now you need to optimize the file for transmission through the internet. A jpg file is one that has all extra information eliminated so that the image will be as small in kilobytes as possible allowing it to move as fast as possible through telephones and cable lines and to load as fast as possible onto people's browsers. A psd file is one with all the informaiton in it and thus is generally too large for internet transmission.

Depending on your copy of photoshop, there are easy and less easy ways to convert your psd file to a jpg file.

* go to the layers window, look for a small triangle in the upper left, click on it, and select FLATTEN LAYERS. Here's what you're looking for: layers window

* go to the FILE MENU -> choose SAVE AS. A dialogue box will come up. Here's what it looks like [save as dialogue box]. you have three things to do:

- name the file [I might use, snowscene-finished.jpg].

- select the file type. The dialogue box now shows "photoshop" and I need to change it to "jpeg".

- select the destination ... where you want to put the new .jpg file on your computer

- click save.

When you click save, an new dialoge box will appear. In this box, you get to select the optimization level. Here's what the dialogue box looks like for my image: jpg optimization box

If you move the quality slider all the way to the right, to a setting of 12, you get a larger file that will be slower to transmit over the internet. If you move it all the way to the left, you will get an image that will be fewer kilobytes, and will transmit faster, but it also may be distorted. More on that below.

If you look at the size information at the bottom of the dialogue box, you will see that the file size of my image, set at quality 10, is 91.69 k [kilobytes] and that it will transmit in 16.2 seconds on a 56.6 kbps [kilobyte per second] telephone modem. It will transmit much faster on a high speed line, but not everyone has high speed lines, so the key is for you to make a decision as to how long people will be willing to wait to have your image load onto their computers. I generally select a quality setting that will transmit the image in about 10 seconds with a 56.6 kpbs modem.

Be aware, that the lower quality settings will eventually produce distortions on your image. So, you might look at the optimized image to determine whether it looks okay. If not, then go back to the .psd version and save it again, this time with a higher optimization.

9. Framing Options.

There are many ways to frame an image. Some of these are shown on this website: different framing styles. All of these styles can be made using the techniques shown above.

10. The Finished snowscene

I've made some modifications and here's what the image presently looks like [finished snowscene image]. I'm rarely entirely satisfied. If you'd like to make suggestions with respect to the haiku, font, framing, please do.

10. Feedback

Rarely will people follow complex instructions like this without hitting some glitches. So, when you do, instead of letting it ruin your haiku-image composition pleasure, drop me an email and let me know where you get hung up and I'll try to help. But, also be aware that if you send me an email, you are going to hit my spam arrest program. It will ask you to go to a webpage and type in a word in order to be able to send me a message. You only have to do this one time.