I recently posted a tutorial on how to turn a photo into a Polaroid using Photoshop Elements. Now I have created a ready-to-use Polaroid frame so anyone can quickly add a Polaroid frame to any photo without having to create the Polaroid frame from scratch. You should be able to use the Polaroid frame in any photo-editing software with layers capability and support for PSD or PNG file types — both formats are included in the zip file.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 5 minutes
Here's How:
- Download and extract Polaroid_Frame.zip.
- Open one of the two Polaroid frame files (PSD or PNG version) in your photo editing software.
- Open the photo you want to put into the Polaroid Frame.
- Select an area of the photo, slightly larger than the portion of the photo you want to show through the frame.
- Copy the selection, go to the Polaroid frame file and paste. The photo selection should go onto a new layer. Some photo editing software has a special "Paste as New Layer" command.
- Move the photo layer so it is below the "Polaroid Frame" layer in the layer stacking order.
- If necessary, move and resize the photo layer so it shows through the cutout in the Polaroid Frame, without sticking out around the edges.
- See the last 2 steps in the Polaroid Frame tutorial for some ideas on how to embellish the Polaroid photo.
Tips:
- If you use Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, after step 6 above, you can use the "Layer > Group with Previous" command to ensure the photo remains inside the frame.
- The files in the zip are low-resolution files, suitable primarily for screen display. If you want a Polaroid frame that is suitable for printing, you should follow the tutorial to create one from scratch.
What You Need:
- Photo-editing software with layers capability and support for PSD or PNG files
- Polaroid_Frame.zip (Download in step 1.)

