How To Use The Frame Tool in Photoshop CC 2019
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The Frame Tool in Photoshop lets you draw a placeholder box, then drop in an image, a Smart Object, or a Creative Cloud Libraries asset later without redoing your layout.
Photoshop 2019 (version 20.0 or later) introduced the Frame Tool, the newest addition to the Toolbar.
The Frame Tool allows you to create image placeholders that you can add images to at a later time. It is very similar to the Frame Tool in Adobe InDesign.
Photoshop 2019 also introduced a redesigned Content-Aware Fill workspace in the same release.
Key Takeaways
- The Frame Tool in Photoshop automatically converts whatever you drop into it into a Smart Object, so you can scale the content without losing quality.
- A frame only accepts images and Smart Objects directly. A shape layer or text layer has to be converted to a frame first.
- Clicking once selects the frame and its content together. Double-clicking selects just the content, and double-clicking again selects both.
- You can turn any existing shape layer or text layer into a frame by right-clicking it and choosing Convert to Frame.
- Content dragged in from the Layers panel keeps its original size. Only content brought in from Libraries or an external file resizes automatically to fit the frame.
- A linked Smart Object shows a chain icon in the Layers panel, and the Properties panel’s Embedded button converts it back into a regular Smart Object.
Table of contents
- What You Will Learn
- Requirements
- Keyboard Shortcuts
- How Do Frames Work in Photoshop?
- How to Create Placeholders for Images with the Frame Tool in Photoshop
- Step 1: Select The Frame Tool
- Step 2: Select the Shape of the Frame from the Options Bar
- Step 3: Click-and-Drag to Create the Placeholder Frame
- Step 4: Drag-and-Drop Images Into the Frame
- Step 5: Replace Images from Frames
- How To Select The Frame or Content in a Frame
- Frames from Images
- Frames From Text Layers or Shapes
- Frames and The Properties Panel
- Insert Image
- Stroke
- Layer Comp
- Command
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
- Related Links
What You Will Learn
- How to draw a rectangular or elliptical placeholder frame.
- How to fill a frame with an image, a Smart Object, or a Creative Cloud Libraries asset.
- How to select the frame and its content separately or together.
- How to convert an existing shape layer or text layer into a frame.
- How to add a stroke to a frame and switch its Layer Comp.
Requirements
Before you start
- Photoshop 2019 (version 20.0 or later) or the current version
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Select the Frame Tool | K | K |
| Free Transform (move or scale the frame or its content) | Ctrl T | Command T |
| Create a Clipping Mask (shape or text layer plus image) | Ctrl Alt G | Command Option G |
| Undo | Ctrl Z | Command Z |
How Do Frames Work in Photoshop?
Frames are a new layer type in the Layers Panel. You can think of them as a container that holds content.
To allow for a non-destructive workflow, the content within frames is automatically added as Smart Object.
Frames are meant specifically for images. You can add smart objects but not shapes, text, or other content.
How to Create Placeholders for Images with the Frame Tool in Photoshop
Step 1: Select The Frame Tool
You can select the Frame Tool from the Photoshop Toolbar or by pressing K (Windows) or K (macOS) on the keyboard, one of several useful Photoshop keyboard shortcuts.
Step 2: Select the Shape of the Frame from the Options Bar
On the Options Bar, click on either the rectangular icon or the elliptical icon to select the shape that you want to use as a placeholder.
Step 3: Click-and-Drag to Create the Placeholder Frame
Click-and-drag on the Canvas to create the placeholder frame.
Note: Clicking-and-dragging over an existing image will mask the image by the frame boundaries.
Step 4: Drag-and-Drop Images Into the Frame
Content within Frame will be replaced when other content is dropped into the Frame. You can drag-and-drop images from your hard drive or Creative Cloud Libraries. The image will automatically scale to fit the frame.
Step 5: Replace Images from Frames
You can replace an image in a frame by dragging a new image onto it.
How To Select The Frame or Content in a Frame
With a frame that contains an image, you can select the Frame Tool and use the following to select either the Frame or the Content:
- A single-click on the content selects both the frame and contents.
- A double-click on the content selects just the contents.
- A second double-click in this state will revert to selecting the frame and content.
- A single-click on the frame border activates the frame.
Note: There are no transform handles to scale the frame and contents together. However, you can resize separately.
Note: Once you scale the content within the frame, there is no way to automatically “fit contents to frame”.
Frames from Images
With an existing image on the canvas, use the frame tool to draw over the desired area of the image. The image will be masked by the frame boundaries.
Frames From Text Layers or Shapes
You can convert any existing shape or text layer into a Frame.
From the layers panel, Right-click on the shape or text layer and select “Convert to Frame”.
Frames and The Properties Panel
Insert Image
- Find on Adobe Stock: Opens your browser to the Adobe Stock website.
- Open Libraries: Opens your Libraries Panel.
- Place from Local Disk – Embedded: Opens the Place window. The image that you select will be embedded into the photoshop document.
- Place from Local Disk – Linked: Opens the Place window. The image that you select will become a reference file.
Stroke
This option allows you to place a stroke around the frame.
You can select a color for the stroke, a pixel width, and an alignment for the stroke (inside, center, or outside).
Layer Comp
If your placeholder image is a Smart Object with a Layer Comp you can use the Layer Comp drop-down to select a comp that was defined in the source file.
Layer Comps are often used by designers to create multiple compositions (or comps) of a page layout to show clients. Layer Comps allow you to create, manage, and view multiple versions of a layout in a single Photoshop file.
A layer comp is simply a snapshot of a state of the Layers panel. Layer comps record three types of layer options:
- Layer visibility: whether a layer is showing or hidden.
- Layer position: Where the layer is in the document.
- Layer appearance: whether a layer style is applied to the layer and the layer’s Blending Mode.
This feature lets you change the state of the Smart Object at a layer level without editing the Smart Object.
Command
- Edit Contents: Opens the Smart Object inside the frame so you can edit it, the same as double-clicking the Smart Object.
- Converted to Linked: Opens the Save As window so you can save the frame’s content as an external file instead of keeping it embedded.
- Embedded: Appears once the content is linked. Click it to convert the linked file back into a Smart Object inside the document.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Frame Tool draws a placeholder shape you can fill with an image or a Smart Object. It works like the frame tool in Adobe InDesign, and you can swap its content at any time without rebuilding your layout.
Click the Frame Tool icon in the Toolbar, or press K (Windows) or K (macOS). Then choose a rectangular or an elliptical frame from the Options bar.
A frame only accepts images and Smart Objects directly. It cannot hold a shape layer or a text layer, although you can convert either one into a frame first.
Right-click the shape or text layer in the Layers panel and choose Convert to Frame. You can then drag a new image onto it like any other frame.
Photoshop only auto-resizes content brought in from Creative Cloud Libraries or an external file. Content dragged in from the Layers panel keeps its original size, so you may need to press CtrlT (Windows) or CommandT (macOS) to fit it.
Click once on the content to select the frame and its content together. Double-click to select just the content, and double-click again to select both. Click the frame’s outline to select only the frame.
Yes. Select the frame, open the Properties panel, then choose a color, a width, and a placement, inside, center, or outside, for the stroke.
Conclusion
The Frame Tool in Photoshop turns a flat image placeholder into a live container you can restyle, resize, and refill at any point in a project.
Try it first on a simple rectangle or ellipse. Converting a shape layer or a text layer into a frame feels like the same tool, just applied to different content.
Watch the full video above, and comment on the video if you have a question about the Frame Tool.
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