Want to "frame" pictures with a fade to transparancy.

[fringe nebula]

This is something I really want to learn as I would repeat it many times. I want to fade the edges of picture to transparancy. I have tried a mask around a merged picture (dislike having to merge it) and then painting with a brush 0 hardness holding down shift for straight lines, works but not the gradual fade I was wanting. Also tried a mask with radial gradient reversed and I thought that would be it maybe something I'm missing but it was severely lacking on what was visible and there wasn't much control to adjust like I was expecting. Lastly tried selecting all, contracting the selection, feathering it, inversing it and deleting it. The lack of real time adjustment would have been tolerable if the end result had a better fade.

[slow raptor]

Show me the ideal end-result you're looking for.

[fringe nebula]

I'll look for something but I specifically want my picture to fade well into a shirt. Right now it doesn't look like a rectangle like it used to but it could be so much better if I can achieve a gradual fade

[slow raptor]

Try this. Save it. Drag and drop it into that Actions panel. Open an image and play the action on the image.

[fringe nebula]

This is very close to the end result I want but I was thinking more uniformly rectangle/squarish with hopefully a controllable fade for different pictures

[fringe nebula]

Thanks, I'll try that

[ornate torrent]

Gave +1 Creative Carma to @slow raptor (current: #3 - 2232)

[fringe nebula]

Yeah, that's the exact look I'm going for but being able to control it would be ideal

[slow raptor]

Control it how?

Look at the Action Steps and you can create your own.

Also, by ticking that empty box, you can replay the Action and make it wait at each step so that you can input values.

[fringe nebula]

Ohh wow I didn't know you could manipulate it like that. I'm new to the actions

[slow raptor]

You can just input values so it is controllable to a point.

[fringe nebula]

It is definitely an upgrade from what I was doing but my picture still has a noticable outline that doesn't fade as well as yours is. Is there something that I'm doing wrong?

[slow raptor]

Hmm. I guess mine has an outline still as well.

[slow raptor]

Try that and make sure you tick on the box for the Levels Adjustment...

[fringe nebula]

Okay, will do

[slow raptor]

You'd likely want to drag the middle slider. Maybe the left/black slider too. I don't know.

[fringe nebula]

Okay I think it's just super noticeable because of the dark colors after trying it with another picture

[fringe nebula]

I've been messing with it, the levels are what affects the fade, right? My thinking is to try to make the grey area as large as possible to make a slow and steady fade

[slow raptor]

Yes. The Levels allow you to adjust the mask. You could also probably adjust it further using the Select & Mask interface.

[fringe nebula]

That definitely does get the real time adjustment I was seriously wanting.

I've been messing with it all this time to make it look "better" but finally putting a color underneath I was blown away. Just with that PNG background it had that obvious outline that fades quickly with any color background. This especially with the adjusting it in real time with the mask is crazy cool! Thanks for sharing it! This is exactly the extra finishing touch that I desired

This is specifically what I was working with

[north bridge]

Using masking or feather, but in this case that is an image over an black shirt, try to change the blending mode of the image from NORMAL to SCREEN, maybe this can helps to have a smoother bleneding.