Scrapbook frames that fit the photograph
A scrapbook frame should reveal the part of the photograph you want to keep. Test the opening over a copy, then leave room for a mat without covering faces or dates.
A frame can give one photo a separate area on the page. Check its opening before choosing the decoration around it.
Keep original photographs uncut. If a frame hides a detail you want, widen the opening or put a mat behind the photo instead.
Try this in your own scrapbook
Arrange your photos on the pages of a digital scrapbook in your browser.
Check the edges of the opening
Cut a window from spare paper and lay it over the photo. Check for faces and details near the edges.
A thick frame reduces the visible image. A wide group photograph may need a thin border rather than a square opening.
Use a mat to show the whole photo
A mat sits behind the print, so it leaves all of the photograph visible. Cut the mat slightly larger than the image and centre the print on it.
Use matching mats for photographs from the same event. Change the mat colour when the subject changes.
Keep raised frames away from facing prints
Bulky decorations can press into the opposite page when the book closes. Try the closed spread before fixing a raised frame.
Keep shadows faint on a digital page. Dark shadows around every photo can make the grid harder to follow.
Steps
Test an opening
Cut a window from spare paper and move it over a copy of the photo. Mark an opening that leaves the important edges visible.
Make a backing mat
Cut a plain rectangle slightly larger than the photo. Keep the side margins equal; leave more room below if you want to add the date.
Frame two different shapes
Put portrait and landscape photos on matching mats. Align the outside edges without cropping both pictures to the same shape.
Close the spread
Put temporary paper shapes where raised details will sit. Close the book and check for pressure against the facing photographs.
Questions
Should I cut a photo to fit its frame?
Use a copy if cropping is necessary. For a unique original, choose a larger opening or put a mat behind the uncut photograph.
Can portrait and landscape photos share a frame style?
Yes. Repeat the frame colour and width while changing the opening shape. The photographs do not need identical crops.
Are frames necessary in a digital scrapbook?
No. A plain gap between photographs can separate them. Add a frame when it helps distinguish a photo from a similar-coloured background.