You can make photographs more interesting by adding a unique border. Borders with blurred edges will help to emphasize the subject of the photo, ease the transition between the photo and other elements on a page and provide a visual appeal. Though feathering the edges of a photograph will remove some of the periphery detail of the image, the technique is ideal for landscape and portrait photos that would benefit from drawing the eye to the center of the photograph.
Instructions
1. Open the photograph to which you want to add a blurred edge by clicking on "File" in the Photoshop menu bar and choosing "Open". Search for the image file in the window, highlight it and then click "Open".
2. Choose a selection tool that matches the border you wish to make. For instance, if you want to make a standard rectangular border, choose the "Rectangular Marquee Tool"; for a circular border, use the "Elliptical Marquee Tool"; for an irregular border, such as one around the subject's profile, pick the "Lasso Tool".
3. Create a selection around the subject of your photo or the central area of the photo by clicking and dragging the mouse until the entire area is selected.
4. Open the "Select" menu and choose "Inverse" to invert your selection (select the border rather than the subject). Alternatively, use the shortcut key "Shift+Ctrl+I" on a Windows PC or "Shift+Cmd+I" on Mac OS X.
5. Open the "Select" menu and choose "Modify" and then "Feather". The radius you use in the feather menu will determine the blur in your edges. A feather setting of between 5 and 15 will produce a soft, gradual blur.
6. Press the "Delete" key to delete the border and leave behind a blurred edge. The initial background will likely make it appear as if the photograph blurs into white at the edges, but this color can be changed by using the "Paint Bucket" tool on the background layer.
