Photoshop Faded Edges

This is a simple tutorial that explains how to create a faded border around an image. I will not go into actually using this image, but only how to make it. This sort of faded edge image works for things like greeting cards, ads and web-pages.

Step 1
Open Photoshop. Select "File" from the menu and choose "Open Recent." Select an image you want to work on and click "OK." 

Step 2
Go to the toolbar and select the "Rectangular Marquee" tool.

Step 3

Go to the "Layers" panel on the lower right and right-click on the "Background" layer. From the options, choose "Layer from Background."

Step 4


Go to the tool options at the top and adjust the "Feather" to whatever you want. The exact amount depends on the size of your image and the result you want to achieve.

Step 5


Hold down the left mouse button and drag over the area you want to keep after the fade. You will notice that the square selection becomes curved when you release the mouse button.

Step 6
Select "Select" from the menu and choose "Select Inverse."

Step 7
Hit "Delete" on your keyboard. This will remove the area around the central area. In this case, I used too much feather. If you want less or more, use the "Step Backward" under "Edit" three times to get back to Step 4 and enter a different amount.

Step 8
Select the "Eraser" tool from the toolbar.

Step 9
Go to the tool options at the top. From the drop down, choose a soft brush and set the "Size" to about 64 and the "Opacity" to about 51. Again, the exact amount will depend on your image. Use the tool to erase any sharp edges at the sides of the fade.

Step 10
Select "File" from the menu and choose "Save for Web or Devices."

Step 11
In the dialog that pops up, go to the upper right and change the file type to PNG.

Step 12
Go to the bottom of the dialog and click "Save."

Step 13
In the dialog that pops up, name the file and click "Save."

Step 14. And that's it. You can now use this PNG file in other projects. Here's what it might look like against a white background.