Add round corners to photographs

[Eric Kenning]

I’m trying to add round corners to photographs for my Web site. I can do it by using one of the masks in Easy Palette which creates a selection with rounded corners. I then drag the selected area off to make a new image. The photograph in the new image now has white round corners. All of this works fine except the only shape I can create is a square.

Is there a way to change the dimension of a selection created with a mask. Alternatively, is there a better way of creating rounded corners on photographs?

[MaryLouW]

The best way to handle this is to make your the square part of the rounded corners transparent and save as a .png file or a .gif with the corners as the transparent color. All graphics are "square" but the edges are "hidden" by making the background transparent.

[EricK]

I should have explained this better. It is the mask that is square (Mask S09), and when it is dragged onto a photograph it creates square selection with rounded corners. The problem is the mask only comes in the one shape, (square with rounded corners). I have tried to make the mask selection fit the portrait format of the photograph without any success. Maybe masks is not the way to go.

I will try your method however, I am not clear how you create the rounded transparent area?

[MaryLouW]

Erick, it doesn't matter what shape the mask is, the end result will still be a square graphic. You could have a triangle shaped mask but the resulting image would be a triangle inside of a square. In order to make it so the square doesn't show, you have to make that part transparent so only the center triangle shows.

There are a lot of tutorials for making transparent backgrounds, just look on the ulead site or use the search engine at h ttp://pircnet.com = search the tutorials for transparent .gif

[Johanna]

Maybe this tutorial will help. It shows you how to resize to fit....

http://johanna.pircsites.com/tutorials/ ... efault.htm

[EricK]

Thank you Johanna it worked and so simple.

The next step was to change the colour of the white rounded corners to match the Web page background. I have done this by using the bucket fill tool.

Thank you again for such an elegant solution.

[Johanna]

You're welcome, I'm glad it helped.

[kingtech]

Maybe this tutorial will help. It shows you how to resize to fit....

http://johanna.pircsites.com/tutorials/ ... efault.htm

Johanna, this link no longer works. I know this post is almost 3 years old but is there someplace it has moved to so that I can read it? My issue with this mask is that if I right click on it in the Easy Palette and tell it to "Fit Mask" instead of "Fit and Keep Aspect Ratio" in order to make the selection reach the edges of the entire image no matter what its shape, it stretches the rounded corners and looks really bad.

Kevin

[MaryLouW]

Johanna hasn't been around for quite some time but the link to that page is
http://johanna.vaa-sites.com/tutorials/ ... efault.htm

[kingtech]

Thank you very much. I must admit I didn't really expect anyone to know this. Well done!

[MaryLouW]

Well, I maintain a database of PhotoImpact tuturials on my web site and try to keep it up to date.. and Johanna is also a personal friend which helps.

[forevrknight]

I am having the same trouble and can't find a mask for sharp rounded corners. I have tried creatring my own mask and having difficulties. Any suggestions?

[rongreenfield]

OMG I dont know why there are all these machinations to this question.
This is a job for the "Powerclip" under the "Effects" pulldown
You get the picture you want to roundcorner on the screen
and you draw a simple box on its edges so it is the same size.
Now go to the "SHAPE TOOL" usually 2nd from the top of the tools at left.
and select the box you just made and pull on a corner to round it to whatever you like.
Then move the box over so you can easily select the pic or the new box.
Ready? Now just click on the pic and drop the EFFECTS tab down and select "POWERCLIP" somewhere in the middle.
Options wwill appear to the right so select "Place inside Container".
Now it will ask you to select the container to put the Pic into.
Select the round corner box you just made and POOF. The pic is in the round-cornered box.
It took 10 times longer to write this than it takes to do it.
Now it will fit easily over backgrounds, etc.
As a bonus you can adjust the frame outline just as you would any box... thickness, color or "X," nothing
- Ron

[trueblue]

Thanks folks for your support in helping Ron.

Glad it all worked out well Ron. Perhaps you may like to show us your result.