Aperture BorderFX Plug-in with Examples
The recently released version 1.1 of the BorderFX plug-in provides compatibility with Aperture 2 and includes a number of new features. To quote the plug-in author,
An Aperture export plug-in that allows you to add borders to images when you export them.
This statement simplifies the BorderFX plug-in, which offers a powerful and flexible environment in which to add borders during the image export process. The BorderFX plugin is available for download from the Aperture Downloads page. For further details, head over to the plug-in authors site.
For the remainder of this article I will be covering the installation and configuration of the plug-in, and include a number of examples of the plug-in in action.
Installing
After downloading the package, selecting the package from the Downloads folder (or from the location it has been downloaded to) will automatically mount the package and open the package contents. Double-clicking the BorderFX.pkg application will open the installer. It is recommended that Aperture is closed before installing the plug-in.
Installation is simple, and requires on 880KB of disk space.
When you next open Aperture, and additional BorderFX option will be available in the File -> Export menu.
Configuring
After selecting the photo that you wish to export, selecting the BorderFX menu will display the main plug-in dialog. In keeping with the upcoming Beijing Olympics, I will be using a photo of the main entrance gate (The Tian’anmen) of the Forbidden City in Beijing as the example image. If you select multiple images, the plug-in provides navigation button for navigation through the images, allowing you to work solely within the plug-in. This is handy if you are exporting a large batch of images, saving time from having to round-trip back into Aperture and selecting the next image and re-launching the plug-in.
The Output options allow you to make the following configurations.
Output Size drop-down - you can select from a range of preset JPEG pixel sizes (i.e. 1920 x 1200), or from a set of standard physical photo sizes (i.e. 5″ x 7″). The JPEG sizes match the range of standard monitor resolutions, where the photo sizes match the sizes of photographic paper.
Image Tab
The Image tab controls the image displayed within the border.
Orientation - allows the choice between Best Fit, Landscape and Portrait.
Scale Photo to - allows the choice between Fit in Canvas, Fill Entire Canvas, Fit Canvas Width and Fit Canvas Height. The Border Crops Photo checkbox applies the border assuming that the photo fills the canvas, rather than the image being contained within the border.
Scale Image - allows you to scale (zoom) the image. The image can also be moved within the border by holding down the mouse button whilst moving the image.
Flip Image - allows you to adjust the image orientation and align the image to the top, center or bottom.
Border Offset - provides a way to add an offset to the border from the edge of the canvas. The width of the offset can be adjusted using the slider. When selected, the color (default is white) can be adjusted by selecting the color icon next to the slider.
Drop Shadow - allows a drop shadow effect to be applied to the image. The offset and the blurring of the shadow can be adjusted.
Blur Border - the blur of the image that is overlapping the border can be adjusted by the slider.
Desaturate Border - the saturation of the image that is overlapping the border can be adjusted by the slider.
Border Tab
The Border tab controls the borders that are used to frame the image.
The main border settings control the size, color and border ratio between the top and bottom of the image. A larger percentage would be needed at the bottom if you were inserting text under the photo. The Soft Edge option allows the border to blend into the photo.
Stroke Border - allows an additional border to be added around the image (inside the main border), giving a more embossed appearance, the thickness and offset of the stroke border can be adjusted, as well as the color and the option of using rounded corners.
Drop Shadow - allows a drop shadow to be added to the border.
Text Tab
The Text tab allows you to add your text to the border. Four separate text settings are provided, for the Copyright Notice, Title, Caption or EXIF Details. Each text object can be adjusted, positioned and displayed separately.
For each of the text options, a selectable IPTC field can be used to insert data from the image metadata. Custom text can be added to override the IPTC text or where no IPTC text has been defined. The placement of the text can also be set, either at the top or bottom of the image or at the top or bottom of the border (alignment to the left and right can be set separately.)
The font, font size, alignment, margin and padding can also be set for the text. Each of the 4 text objects can be adjusted separately, providing a lot of flexibility in your border design.
The advanced settings also allow the character spacing to be set. In addition, the text can be displayed as filled text or stroke text, where the stroke width and fill color can be set separately. In addition a drop shadow can be applied to the text.
The range of text options is similar to that offered by a word processor, and I was amazed at the level of control and flexibility this gave me.
Watermark Tab
The Watermark tab allows a watermark to be added to the image.
The location of the watermark can be set from a list of drop-down presets (such as Top Left or Bottom Right.) The blend mode (how much the watermark blends into the image) can be adjusted from a list of drop-down presets, together with the opacity and scale of the watermark. An image chooser allows you to select an external image for the watermark.
The complete set of adjustments made across the four tabs can be saved as a preset, allowing you to quickly export images with the same border settings. The export filename can be adjusted using the same set of options available as with the Aperture Master or Version exports.
I think that you can see that the BorderFX plug-in offers a very powerful and flexible way of adding borders to your images.
Examples
The following images represent a small proportion of what can be achieved with the BorderFX plug-in.
Tags: Aperture
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