Have you always wondered how to get a photograph to have such nice, rounded edges?
Well, using masks, there is an easy way to do that in Photoshop. And the effect doesn’t stop at curved edges! If you can lasso it, you can mask it.

First, open up the image you want to work on. I’ll be using this fetching tiger from the Stock.Xchng.

Now we’re going to create a shape we want the image to be ‘in’. Since I’m showing you how to curve your edges, I’m using the Rounded Rectangle Tool. However, you’re free to use any other shape as well!

Make sure ‘Create New Shape Layer’ is selected:

And draw the shape (on a new layer). What is filled in or contained is what will ultimately end up being visible in your final product.

Ctrl-Click the Shape layer you just made to select it.

Now, select the layer with your original image.

And Add a Mask.

This is what you should see on your canvas. But don’t panic! The tiger hasn’t disappeared.

Hide the shape layer…

.. and your tiger is back! The curved edges are a little hard to see but they are there.

You can add a dark background to bring out the curved corners better.

If you want to move the image within your mask (the tiger) without moving the entire rectangle, uncheck ‘lock layers’ in the Layers Palette.

Now, with the Move Tool selected…

You can move around the tiger while keeping him within the curved shape!

Like I said at the beginning, you’re not restricted to rounded rectangles. Basically, anything you can lasso you can turn into a mask. Here are some examples using different shapes, as well as the pen tool.

Made with the Heart Shape.

Made with the Pen Tool.

Made with a modified shape.
The technique for making a shape like this
can be found at my geometric shapes tutorial.

If you’ve made an image with this tutorial and would like to display it here for the world to see, either contact me or leave a comment and I will gladly showcase your creation!