ImageFramer news and framing tutorials
Learn about framing art and photos
Meet Oval Frames in ImageFramer 4.9
We're excited to introduce ImageFramer 4.9, and this one's a big deal. You can now create beautiful oval frames – a feature many of you have been asking about for years. Any design that uses border-type frames and mats (the ones where width can be changed) can now be...
How to add a border in Photoshop
If you want to add borders or mats to any photo, you can do so with Photoshop. Although ImageFramer has hundreds of designs available at your fingertips, we are going to provide you with a tutorial that shows you how to create a border in Photoshop. Launch Photoshop...
ImageFramer adds support for macOS Monterey Shortcuts
The Shortcuts app is the new way to use automation on the Mac. Now available on macOS Monterey, Shortcuts first started on iOS. The action that ImageFramer adds to Shortcuts is "Apply ImageFramer Template". The template must exist in ImageFramer's Templates tab and you...
Gold frames in classic paintings and modern art
Since the onset of a picture frame history as we know it, frames have always been gilded. The classic golden color of a frame is mainly used due to its symbolism—wealth and luxury. But frames were also gilded for other reasons. Let’s explore the popularity of gold...
Why you should mat photographs and artwork
The mat is a dense colored cardboard (or other similar material) that frames a picture, photograph, or other artwork, creating a field of light or color around the image. We have already been talking about the History Of The Mat, but why is the mat so imperative for...
How to create striped frames in ImageFramer
ImageFramer has a massive library of frames and combining them leads to endless possibilities! One example that is easy to achieve is the striped frame. In this blog post, we will create colorful striped frames using mats in ImageFramer. Open ImageFramer and navigate...
Greeting Card Creator pack for ImageFramer
We're excited to announce the release of the Card Creator pack for ImageFramer. This downloadable frame pack has over 120 design elements which enable creating a variety of greeting cards for any occasion in mere minutes. Combine these artist-created elements to create...
How to create a promo for social media with ImageFramer
Social media is an amazing tool for marketing your business. Social media platforms can help you connect with your audience, drive website traffic, and increase sales with a single post. One approach that can help you achieve these goals would be to create a visually...
Is Instagram good for marketing and selling your art?
Instagram has collected over a billion users since 2010. This huge and very visual platform is excellent for selling art. Vogue magazine called Instagram the “World’s Most Talked-About New Art Dealer” and here is the reason: studies have shown that Facebook and...
Black Friday sale 2019
Enjoy amazing Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales on all Apparent Software apps! Until the very last minute of Monday, December 2, 2019, prices on all our Mac apps are 50% off! Please note, this offer is valid only for purchases made through our websites. Frequently...
Let the Holiday Gifting Begin!
Love taking cute photos of your children, your pets, or perhaps just your delicious latkes and sufganiyot at Hanukkah? Us too! Now, kick celebrations up a notch with 14 delightful new Hanukkah frames, added for free to the Holidays and celebrations collection. There’s...
Create Mother's Day cards with ImageFramer
Send your mom a special message this Mother’s Day! ImageFramer has released new frames that are great for making custom cards with. Words are not enough so we've added 16 new designs for the special mothers in our life. Here are four step-by-step instructions (with...
Improved Text Overlays in ImageFramer 4.2
We're happy to announce improvements in text overlay layers in ImageFramer 4.2. Two areas now work better: 1. Text overlay layers will now keep font size when you enter more text. The layers will expand horizontally as more text is added instead of the previous...
Creative ideas on what to do with your wedding photos
Photography is an essential element of every wedding celebration. Pictures taken by a professional photographer are extremely important because they capture the memories of the most beautiful event in every couple’s life. Since your wedding is one of the most important...
What's new in ImageFramer 4.1
ImageFramer 4.1 is a small release that focuses on two new user-suggested features and on fixing some bugs: Video: New Features: - User suggestion (thanks, Gary): Hide and show layers from the filmstrip by clicking on the "eye" in the layer icon - Lightroom plugin...
What's new in ImageFramer 4.0
Also, see: - What's new in ImageFramer version 4.1 - Improved Text Overlays in ImageFramer 4.2 We're happy to announce the release of ImageFramer 4.0. We've worked long and hard to make it happen. We also have big plans going forward. ImageFramer 4.0 release focus...
How to make a unique Valentine's card
Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love and caring. It could be love between friends, family love of a child to the parent or romantic love between partners. On this day people share unique, romantic cards with their loved ones and there is nothing easier than to make...
Happy Halloween from Apparent Software!
ImageFramer has a variety of included Halloween frames and a downloadable Fall Frames Pack! Make your holiday photos and greeting cards unique! Download the best-in-class Mac app for adding photorealistic frames and mats to photos and artwork today.
5 Tips for Perfect Photo Framing
Whether you’re doing a mock-up for a customer who wants one of your fine art photos framed or want to create a polished finish for an online gallery, adding frames to your digital photos is the classic final touch on your hard work. But how do you frame a photo in a...
Happy Easter from Apparent Software
ImageFramer has a selection of Easter Frames. Make your holiday photos and greeting cards stand out. Download the best-in-class Mac app for adding photorealistic frames and mats to photos and artwork today.
Hoarfrost photo with a little ImageFramer touch
This morning's beautiful hoarfrost needed just a little touchup from ImageFramer to add some more of the frosty mood. The frame is called Chaos (can be found in the Artistic collection, Oval set). It's a monochrome frame that was colourized to a purplish colour and...
Make Gift Photos Unique with ImageFramer
Summer is a busy time for everyone, and for many of us that means lots of birthdays, parties, family get-togethers and the like where gifts are exchanged. One of the most meaningful gifts that you can give to someone is a nicely-framed photo of themselves or their...
How to Produce an ImageFramer Design Report
One of the great new features included in ImageFramer 3.3 is the ability to generate PDF reports called Design Reports, which are reports that show all of the specific sizes and style elements that you've added to your photo. By allowing you to adjust the size of your...
Photo frames for Easter with ImageFramer
For those of you celebrating Easter and taking pictures of your family during the celebrations, ImageFramer has you covered. There's a variety of Easter-themed frames available in ImageFramer's Holidays collection. These can add an even more festive mood to your...
ImageFramer gains Thanksgiving and Christmas frames
Continuing with the recent addition of Holidays and Celebrations collection, starting with Halloween frames about a month ago, we now added Thanksgiving and Christmas sets. We’ve added 17 frames for Thanksgiving and 44 for Christmas and one bonus frame in “Artistic”...
ImageFramer 3.1 brings vector frames support
ImageFramer 3.1 brings some exiting new features, modifications and bugs fixes. Please read the release notes carefully to get yourself familiar with all the changes. - Support for vector frames. Vector frames (in PDF format) can be used as regular images in Frame...
How to Frame Your Art for Free Online
Why Frame Your Artwork? Framing is an essential part of displaying and preserving artwork. A well-chosen frame enhances the composition, draws attention to key details, and provides a polished presentation. Traditionally, framing required purchasing physical frames or...
How to use a color wheel
We talked about color theory basics in a recent article. Today, let’s explore how we can use the color wheel in the subject of our interest—picture framing. Johannes Itten’s 12-part color wheel is considered the most popular in the world, widely used in painting,...
ImageFramer v Adobe Photoshop: digital framing apps compared
ImageFramer and Adobe® Photoshop® are two different apps that can be used to achieve similar results. ImageFramer can add a frame to any photo with the click of a button and Photoshop provides the tools to create the frame from scratch. There is no question about which...
Make a custom frame with iPad drawing apps
ImageFramer is a fantastic app that allows you to add frames, mats, and borders to your art with the click of a button. This macOS app offers more than 1,000 framing assets so the combination of looks is nearly endless. Although there is no shortage of frames, the...
How to use digital stickers in ImageFramer
In case you missed it, we launched an Etsy shop where you can purchase some of your favorite Apparent Software images! Each file is a high-quality transparent PNG so you can use them in your digital planners and in ImageFramer! In this tutorial, we will use one of our...
How to colorize frames in ImageFramer
ImageFramer is a versatile photo editor that comes with a bundle of features that are perfect for customizing frames and borders. In this blog post, we will cover the Colorize option that can turn a basic frame into color popping perfection! Open ImageFramer and add a...
Great painters and their frames
Self-portraits of Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, and Vincent Van Gogh framed with ImageFramer We seldom think about how the frame affects our impression of an artwork. Most of the canvases in museums and galleries are framed, but on the Internet and in art catalogs,...
How to create custom textures for personalized cards in ImageFramer
Did you know that you can create personalized greeting cards with ImageFramer? ImageFramer frame sets like Christmas and Mother's Day feature paper textures and text lines. If you have textures of your own, you can use them as backgrounds to create heartwarming cards...
Guidelines for watermarking your artwork and photos
The history of the watermark starts long ago in the thirteenth century. Invented in Italy, the watermark aims to protect currency, postage stamps, and government documents from copying. Watermark standards haven't changed much since then. A watermark is still a...
Picture Framing 101: ABCs of Art
Looking to quickly come up to speed on some frequently used picture framing vocabulary? Apparent Software, makers of ImageFramer, are pleased to bring you this Framing and Art Alphabet, a handy glossary for appreciating art and making or enhancing your own. A Artwork-...
Spring Photo Contest
Update: Congratulations to our winners! - Grand Prize Winner: Su Kara for Tennis Reflections - ImageFramer Pro Raffle Winner: Anka Nikitina - Trickster Raffle Winners: Anne M, Kerry-Ann Stanley, and Jack Jones Do you love taking photos? How about winning great...
Spring Frames Pack for ImageFramer 4.2
We’re excited to announce a special pack of spring frames for ImageFramer. The frame pack includes 60 frame designs in various styles and it's available for purchase for only $4.99. Celebrate the spring season with ImageFramer by adding bright and colorful frames to...
Create Seamless Frames with ImageFramer
Adding the right frame to your artwork or photograph can enhance it by providing a sophisticated look. A good picture frame also creates a focal point by separating the image from the outside world. The best way to achieve this is to use a frame that has no gaps or...
How to Create and Add Custom Frames in ImageFramer
Watch the short video below to learn how to create custom frames and add them to ImageFramer. Steps are also outlined below the video. Adding frames requires the Pro license for ImageFramer. Step-by-step instructions 1. Use any drawing software. (Photoshop, Adobe...
How To Choose A Perfect Mat For Your Digital Photo
Every photograph deserves to be properly presented. An ordinary photo, surrounded by a mat in an elegant frame, creates a totally different perception than the image by itself. Most people would agree that a frame is an essential enhancement to a classical oil...
4 Frame Ideas to Inspire Your Little Artist
Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. (Pablo Picasso) If you have kids in your life, chances are at least one of them is a budding artist. Kids are constantly looking for ways to change the world around them—hopefully using...
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
May beautiful moments and happy memories surround you with joy this Christmas and always!
How to Frame Your Digital Photos
“Memory is the only paradise out of which we cannot be driven away.” We use photos to capture the world around us, from people and events to the small details other people miss completely. From the earliest days of photography, a frame and photo mat were used to...
How a Great Frame Can Help You Sell More Art
Your customers are always looking for great art and great service. What they aren’t short of is options. You need a way to help your art stand out. How artwork is framed is important to both the buyer and the art itself. A piece of art isn’t complete until it has a...
New Celebration frames in ImageFramer
We've added about 60 new celebration frame designs. They can be found in "Holiday and Celebrations" Collection, in "Celebration" Set. They are part of the Standard frames and are available for free to all the customers. To see the list of all the frames in this set,...
Merry Christmas and happy holidays
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Apparent Software!
Use ImageFramer to Make Still Life Photos Pop
If you're a photographer looking to sell your still life prints online, it can often be difficult for potential customers to picture how your photos will look framed in their homes. Luckily ImageFramer allows you to experiment with different varieties of mats and...
How to Frame Animal Prints and Skins
A recent post on The Grumble that caught our attention was "Framing Animal Hides - Help!" In it, OP (the Original Poster) was discussing the best mats and threads to set it on, and which options are available to frame animal prints and skins. Textured photos, pieces of...
ImageFramer for photographers
Users of ImageFramer come from different professions and include traditional painters, digital artists, custom framers or printers. Photographers benefit from ImageFramer as well, and today we'll see how it can be used to spice up or images and prepare for a...
ImageFramer treats you this Halloween!
Halloween is almost upon us. You’re probably going to take a lot of pictures of you or of your kids in costumes and at parties. Maybe you need to design a pretty but scary invitation and need the final touch. ImageFramer introduces a new “Holidays and Celebrations”...
ImageFramer 3 is finally here!
After 2 years of hard work we are very proud to announce the release of the long-anticipated ImageFramer upgrade: ImageFramer 3! Why the excitement? Because this new release brings ImageFramer framing to another level: from a good framing application to a world-class...
How to make a custom border in ImageFramer
Today we're going to provide you with an ImageFramer tutorial that shows you how to create a border from scratch. We've created the exact same design using Photoshop in How to add a border in Photoshop but we're going to make it even easier with ImageFramer. Launch...
ImageFramer 4.8 adds undo and improves icons
We're happy to announce a new update to ImageFramer. This version is focused on better usability and user interface, some of them in preparation for the sticker packs that we're going to introduce really soon. Frame icons now display in Retina resolution on supported...
How to choose the perfect color scheme for framing your art
When you’re trying to learn more about framing and matting, choosing the right color combination is a critical decision. The first impression from a framed artwork is primarily based on its color composition. The colors are stored in our memory much longer than the...
Twelve Days of Christmas Frames
We have a special gift for you this season, dear ImageFramer users. Starting on Christmas Day, Winnipeg time, and going through January 5, we’ll upload one or more brand-new holiday themed frames right here: FREE Twelve Days of Christmas Frames: 1. First Day of...
Color theory basics
Color is experienced not only visually, but also psychologically and aesthetically. Therefore, color has always been studied as a complex phenomenon. Physicists examine light waves, measure and classify colors; chemists create new pigments for paints; physiologists...
How to make greeting cards with the Card Creator Pack
The new Card Creator Pack is a huge addition to ImageFramer. This new pack lets you mix and match over 100 original artist-created design elements to create custom greeting cards for every occasion. Christmas cards? ✅ Birthday cards? ✅ Save-the-dates? ✅ Fun, playful...
History of the mat
The mat (“mount” in British English, or passé-partout in French) is a sheet of paper that resides between the image and the frame, creating a field of light or color around the picture. A mat provides multiple functions, both protective and aesthetic. Here, we’ll...
How to create corner frames with ImageFramer
ImageFramer has a fantastic Frame Editor feature that lets you create custom frames! The Frame Editor has four main types of frames: Color mat, Moulding with corners, Full frames, and moulding. In this blog post, you will learn how to create a Moulding with corners...
How to promote on Instagram: tips for artists, photographers & other creative professionals
Instagram has become one of the most popular platforms for art dealers in the world. Many art lovers use Instagram for buying paintings—even Oscar-winning film star and celebrity collector Leonardo DiCaprio buys art on Instagram. This article is for those who either...
Happy Holidays 2018
Take a breather from holiday preparations to open your presents from ImageFramer! Launch the app and select the Holidays and celebrations collection to unwrap dozens of goodies that make card-making and wrapping a little bit merrier. We've just added 27 new frames in...
Introducing the ImageFramer Celebrates Spring Sticker Pack
Love the springtime sounds of birdsong and the bright pop of colorful flowers? We do too! The ImageFramer team is excited to announce our first-ever sticker pack for Apple Messages: ImageFramer Celebrates Spring. Check out all your choices, including photo corners and...
Enjoy 8 new Easter designs
We've added eight new designs for Easter. These frames can be updated from the online library. If your ImageFramer doesn't notify you of the updates automatically, you can do so from the ImageFramermenu. The designs were added to Easter set in Holidays and Celebrations...
Leather, paper and glass frame for a photograph
Recently we published a photo of Chicago on Facebook, with a three-layer frame created in ImageFramer. Here it is: The design for that is interesting because it uses a colored glass frame and a crinkly paper mount under a stitched leather one. It may not be necessarily...
Summer Frames Pack for ImageFramer 4
We're happy to announce that we've released a special pack of frames for the summer season for ImageFramer. This frame pack has 80 frame designs in various styles and it's available for purchase for only $4.99. Frames in the Summer Frames Pack Download the...
Become a supporter of ImageFramer
NOTE: This offer is no longer available. This page is kept for historical reference only. If you enjoy ImageFramer and would like to support its further development, we now offer a way for you to express it and get additional benefits. Introducing ImageFramer Supporter...
How to Make Your Artwork Pop With a Digital Mat
A mat can transform an otherwise ordinary piece of artwork, enhancing or even radically changing the impression it makes. To make your favourite digital art stand out, there are several things to pay attention to: Colour, width, layers—and, of course, the frame itself....
Make matting interesting with ImageFramer
In this tutorial, I want to show you a few ways to use matting with ImageFramer. A mat can enhance, or even radically change, the impression of a picture. With a mat, a piece of art can look far more impressive than without it. To show you some matting tips I have...
What’s Your Picture Frame Style? A Look at the History of Framing
For most of history, frames were practically an afterthought to everyone but artists—a backdrop to greater paintings and drawings. Artwork was typically given a new frame whenever it changed hands or if the owners did some redecorating and wanted a new frame to match....
To Frame Or Not To Frame Art?
“Art consists of limitation. The most beautiful part of every picture is the frame.” G.K. Chesterton. Many private owners and art galleries exhibit their paintings without frames, while others cannot imagine their artwork without proper framing. Should you frame your...
Aspect ratio locking in ImageFramer 3.4
Latest ImageFramer update brings time-saving improvements to some workflows and some user-interface changes. Perhaps the most visible change is that "Watermarks" were renamed to "Overlays". The origin of the name "watermark" was in the initial intended use for these...
Pluto has been framed
To celebrate New Horizons' PlutoFlyBy, we framed its best photo of Pluto yet with a simple frame. The selected frame is called Straight from the Artistic collection, Various set. We color-matched it to Pluto's heart and made it a bit darker so it didn't draw the eyes...
ImageFramer 3.3 Upgrade
We're excited to announce that the latest version of ImageFramer is now available! Here are some of the features included in the ImageFramer 3.3 upgrade: - Allow setting “Real-world” size for the image being framed. With this you can: - ImageFramer displays total...
MC Escher's Cat Takes a Walk
Cat on Stairs Escher Everyone is obsessing over this photo of a cat on the stairs, so we decided to add our (framed) take on it! Is it going up or down the stairs? What do you think? Download the best-in-class Mac app for adding photorealistic frames and mats to photos...
ImageFramer 3.2 brings lots of improvements
We’re excited to announce the release of ImageFramer version 3.2. The updated version has a lot of changes but most of them are under the hood. User-visible changes include some improvements to the workflow to save you time performing common tasks. We also released two...
ImageFramer 3.1.2 answers many requested features
ImageFramer 3.1.2 is more than a dot update. It brings some of the most long-requested features. It's also the last version to work on Leopard (10.5). Please read the release notes carefully as some changes might be hard to discover on your own. As Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion)...