Some tips required to make a digital matte

[D.Rodgers]

I doing a collage and i want to make a digital mock up so i can choose matting colors etc.
I have no clue how to create the matte any ideas..

[Mr. Pickles]

There are a bazilion ways to frame an image. A ton of actions or scripts are all over the internet. We even have some frames in our FREE download section.
Resources - PhotoCamel - Your Friendly Photo Community (look in Photoshop Actions)

As for the cut-outs, usually, you use the marquee tool and draw a shape, and then hit delete. That will cut the section of that layer out. So typically, below that layer in the 'stack" is a really ugly colored layer (lime green or something ugly). That way you can see the underlying stuff.

Then you take the images (three of them like your example) and place those on layers in between the ugly bottom layer and the top cut-out layer. Resize the separate images to be just a tick bigger than the cut-outs. You know it works right when the ugly colored layer doesn't show around the individual images...

Hope that helps...

[D.Rodgers]

It helps a bit thanks.
Can I make the angle on the bevel or is that too much work.
I guess what I'm after is making a replica matte that I can alter for diffrent looks.
(That I can save as an action)

*Its probably asking to much here so maybe theres a creditable tutorial that I can be linked to that will show how to do it from scratch.*

Sorry if I'm a pain. I'm just fishing for ideas its a new concept for me.

[Mr. Pickles]

hate to link to other sites, but this might help a bit....
Is there an easier way to make these? :: PBase Forum

I would NOT make this an action. I would build the frame and cut-outs (in your example it is a tryptich by the way) and save it as a PSD file (or whatever that keeps the layers). You can make different sizes as large as you need for printing and save those as templates.

[D.Rodgers]

Thanks MR Pickles.
I cant praise your help enough.

[Mr. Pickles]

You can post results along your journey road....

[jfrancho]

Mike's Framer script has everything from mats to bevels to whole frames. very easy to use: Mikes Framing Scripts

[D.Rodgers]

Thanks John.
I'm not really looking for framing.
I need a working matte that is close to a real one,that can be dropped on images with the ability to change the matte color and bevel also the texture.
Something I'm working on for a new website idea.

[jfrancho]

It does matting with beveling as well, that's why I posted the link.