I personally like to see paintings and photographs matted as well as framed. A mat gives depth to the image you are framing. I have experimented with many ways to mat and frame an image, thus this is a tutorial to show others how easy and simple it can be to create a matted and framed image using only Paint Shop Pro 5.

Before we get started, there are a couple of points that I would like to bring to your attention. #1-Always save your work as you go along in the tutorial. A good idea is to save after each step. When you have saved your work and something doesn't look right to you, as you are doing the tutorial, you can always go back to the previous step and try it again. #2- As we go through the tutorial there will be steps when I will give you a HTML safe color code to use. I have decided on these color codes by first opening the "Color" dialog box and with the eyedropper, clicking on a color from the image that I would like to use. The color that we get from the image may not be a safe HTML color so with the image color selected, I will reopen the "Color" dialog box and pull up my HTML safe color chart and with the eyedropper start selecting a color that is as close a match to the one in the image that I can find. If I put the eyedropper on a color on the color chart, the color code for that color will appear at the bottom of the screen. You can then type in the color code or just click on the color from the color chart and it will appear on your "Color" dialog box screen, then click OK.

If you do not have a good HTML color chart, you can download the ones I use from my friends website Mulawa. There are two charts, a large chart and a small safe color chart at the bottom of the web page. You download them separately. The small chart is great for working with PSP, as you can open it and leave it open at the bottom of your PSP screen. It is there when you need it. Enough said. Let's get started with the tutorial.

	Begin by downloading the picture that is to the left. That way we will both be working with the same image. To download the image, right click on the image and click on save image as. Step #1 Open the image in your Paint Shop Pro 5. Make a copy of the image. Click on "EDIT" menu and then click on "copy" then "EDIT" menu and then click on "paste" and paste "as new image". Next click on "COLORS" and from the drop down menu go to "increase color depth" and click on "16 million colors(24 bit)". Now you are ready to mat and frame your image.
	Step #2 We are going to do the inside bevel for the mat that you are going to create. I used a very light color for the bevel. Click on the background color on the right sidebar of your screen and open the "color" dialog box. In the HTML code: box type in #FFFFCC and click OK. Make sure you have your image selected and click on "IMAGE" and from the drop down menu click on "add borders". An "add borders" pop up box will appear. You are now going to set your border size for the bevel at Top: 2 and check Symmetric and a 2 will appear in all 4 boxes. Click OK. Now you have the bevel for your mat.
	Your image should look like this.
	Step #3 Now select the background color for your mat. As in Step #2, click on the backround color on the right sidebar of your screen and open the "color" dialog box. In the HTML code: box type in #CCCC99 and click OK.
	Make sure you have your image selected and click on "IMAGE" and from the drop down menu click on "add borders". An "add borders" pop up box will appear. You are now going to set your border size for the mat at Top: 20 now un-check Symmetric and now in the "bottom" border box type in 24. Click OK. Now you have a beveled mat.
	Your image should now look like this.
	Step #4 In this step you are going to begin the construction of your frame. As in Steps #2 and #3 click on the backround color on the right sidebar of your screen and open the "color" dialog box. In the HTML code: box type in #CC6666 and click OK. Make sure you have your image selected and click on "IMAGE" and from the drop down menu click on "add borders". An "add borders" pop up box will appear. You are now going to set your border size for the frame at Top: 20 and check Symmetric and 20 will appear in all 4 boxes. Click OK.
	Now your image looks like this.
	Step #5 Go to the color box on the right sidebar of your screen. In the color box is 2 arrows joined that make a 90 degree angle. The top arrow points to the foreground color and the bottom arrow points to the background color. Click on the arrows to reverse the foreground and background colors. The color you just used for your last border is now your foreground color. Click on the background color and open the "color" dialog box. In the HTML code: box type in #660000 and click OK.
	Make sure you have your image selected and click on "IMAGE" and from the drop down menu click on "add borders". An "add borders" pop up box will appear. You are now going to set your border size for this border at 20, the same as you did in the previous step. Click OK. Your image should now look like the one at the left. Including the bevel border, you now have 4 borders around your image.
	Step #6 As a good friend of mine would say, "Now for the Magic". You are going to click on the "magic wand" and open the control dialog box. Make sure your dialog box settings are set to Tolerance 0 and Feather 0. Once that is done take the magic wand and center it in the next to last border you created and left click to select that border. Your image should now look like the example below.
	The next step is to invert the border you just selected by pressing Shift+Ctrl+I. You will now have both frame borders selected.
Your image should now look like this.
	Step #7 Make sure you have your image selected. Now for the real magic, click on "IMAGE" and from the drop down menu click on "Effects" and from the pop up box click on "Chisel". Set the Chisel effect at 20, that's the same as your frame borders, and check the background color box. Click OK. You should now cancel your selection by right clicking on your mouse. Your image should look like the one below.
	Step #8 Click on the magic wand again and select the outside border and then invert the border you just selected by pressing Shift+Ctrl+I. Now click on "IMAGE" and from the drop down menu click on "Crop to Selection". You now have a matted and framed image, but we are not quiet finished yet. We need to add a little depth and perspective to your framed image. With your image selected, press Ctrl+A on your keyboard and the outside of your frame is selected. Next click on"SELECTIONS" and from the drop down menu click on "Modify" and a side bar will open and click on "Contract". This brings the "Contract" dialog box up. Set the # of pixels at 20 and click OK. Now your selection is between the frame and the mat. Now click on "IMAGE" and from the dropdown menu click on "Effects" and from the side dialog box, click on Cutout. The Cutout pop up box appears. Set the Interior Color to background color, Shadow Color to black, Opacity to 30, Blur to 6, vertical to 2 and horizontal to 2 and click OK. Now click on "IMAGE" again and from the drop down menu click on "Effects" and from the side dialog box, click on Drop Shadow. The Drop Shadow pop up box appears. Set the Color to white, Opacity to 30, Blur to 4, vertical to 2 and horizontal to 2 and click OK. Right Click on your mouse to deselect. You now have a finished matted and framed image.