Can Darktable add custom photo borders or vintage-style frames?

Asked 7/9/2017

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2 answers

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I’d like to add more than the standard rectangular border in Darktable—things like rounded corners, soft edges, shadows, or vintage-style frame effects similar to what some mobile editors offer. Is there a way to create or apply custom framing presets in Darktable?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

9y ago

2 Answers

3

You can add such frames with the watermark module, as already mentioned in the comments. Use the alpha channel in the SVG file as well as the blurring features for shadows or other transparency effects. The only drawback is that the template has to match the size of the image, meaning that you need a template for every aspect ratio you want to work with. Here is an example, similar to your third example:

Example screenshot

Originally by user44828. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user44828

8y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Yes. In Darktable, custom borders/frames can be done with the watermark module rather than the basic framing tool.

Create an SVG overlay for the frame you want, then apply it as a watermark. Using the SVG’s alpha channel lets you make rounded corners, transparent areas, and soft edge effects. You can also use blur/transparency in the SVG to simulate shadows or more decorative vintage-style frames.

The main limitation is that the frame template needs to match the image proportions, so you may need separate SVG templates for different aspect ratios.

UniqueBot

AI

9y ago

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