Image and Matte Sizes in Picture Framing / Content and Border Sizes in Copy

PhiMatrix user quote:  “The feature to use Phi for matting is also very useful for photographers like me. It has happened several times that customers, looking in a gallery at a matted and mounted print said: "The layout of this print has something special, but I don't know what." "That's Phi, the natural balance, that's pleasing your eyes," I answered each time.  Cees M., The Netherlands

So, which of the matted images below do you find most appealing?

If you selected the middle sized border, your sense of aesthetics chose the matte that reflects a golden ratio.  The ratio of the area of the matte to the area of the painting is phi, 1.618, with a border width of 25 pixels.

By contrast, the border width of the matte on the left is 12 pixels, resulting in a matte/image area of 1.3, which seems a bit small.

The border width of the matte on the right is 50 pixels, resulting in a matte/image area of 2.4, which tends to dwarf the painting a bit.

PhiMatrix can easily create an optimal matte size for any photo or image using the golden ratio, or another ratio if you prefer:

• Expand the Control Window to the Advanced Mode (use the upper left icon with up/down arrow)

• Set the Aspect ratio to the finished frame size you will be filling, e.g. Photo 5x7 in the example above.  (Use "Variable" if it's a non-standard aspect ratio.)

• Set the Orientation to Landscape or Portrait to match your image.

• Position and size the grid over the image to be displayed inside the matte.

• Go to the View menu, select Border Size and then choose Golden Matte out from Grid to get the perfect Phi matte for your frame.  (If you want to start with the outside Border dimensions, you can also size the Border first and then select Golden Matte in from Border.)

• Set the transparency to zero to hide the grid lines and the use the File Save Image or Copy Image option to capture your completed work.  You can also leave the border showing if you want it to outline the painting within the matte.

• If you want to apply this to an actual physical frame, set the dimensions of PhiMatrix to represent the dimensions of the frame, e.g. make the Border 850 x 1000 for an 8.5x10 frame.  Applying the Golden Matte option will display the dimensions of the image and border (in the Advanced mode) that you can apply to your actual frame and matte.  For example, an 8.5x10 frame will require a matte border of .98 inches (showing a border size of 98 pixels) to provide a matte to image area of 1.618.  The interior area for the picture would then be 6.54 x 8.04.

Of course the same technique can be used to create an ideally sized border around the content of a brochure or any other graphic design content.

Note:  Landscape paintings used for illustration above are by Michael Story at MichaelStory.com