My stroke outline won't show up.

[cats4jan]

I was interested that "Inside" gives sharper results.

Strangely, if you choose outside, you get cut off corners, but not if you choose inside.  I don't quite know why it would work that way.

[cats4jan]

Another hint about outlining:

After you get a selection - be it by Control/Command Clicking on the thumbnail,
or by using any other selection tool -
realize you can modify the size of that selection

Select> Modify> then choose either Expand or Contract.

Then go to Edit> Stroke

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This is also a great way to make exact shape mats for your photos - matting instead of outlining allows you to manipulate the mat if you wish to offset your mat for a different look.  Just open a new layer below your photo or item and fill that selection with color.



Plus, this method is a great way to mat items that have strange shapes - such as text.



We addressed this subject in the Digital Scrapbooking Section
photoshopelementsandmore.com/thread/1652/create-word-art

[Sepiana]

Jan 28, 2016 13:22:24 GMT haliburton said:

Thanks so much, Sepiana, for figuring this out. It was awfully good of you to go to so much trouble. I'm off to apply a border. (I was interested that "Inside" gives sharper results.

haliburton, you are most welcome! No trouble at all.  Success with your project!

I don’t really know the technical explanation why this happens but it is well documented in the pertinent literature -- the Inside location will give the stroke sharp corners while the Center and Outside locations can result in blunt, mitered corners. When you stroke a selection, you are creating a border around it. The decision on where you place this border will depend on the effect you want to create -- around the inside edge of the selection, centered on the edge of the selection, or around the outside edge of the selection. However, keep in mind that, if you are bordering an entire image (just like in your project), you should not choose Outside. If you choose this location, you won’t see the border you created because it will be off the edge of your image.