There actually is a way to provide simple frames for your pictures just using Picasa’s Collage tool.  But now, with the online editing tool called Picnik, it’s even easier, and you can get really fancy.

A simple Picnik frame:

A fancy Picnik frame:

So, how do you do this?  Just select the picture you want to frame then click the Picnik button on the Basic Fixes tab.  You need a good, fast Internet connection for this to work because all the Picnik editing tools are completely web-based.  When you click the Picnik button you will be asked if you want to edit your picture in Picnik.  If you click Yes, be prepared to wait a bit – even on a good, fast connection this takes a minute or two.

Once your picture is showing up in Picnik, you should see 4 tabs: Home, Library, Edit, and Create.  Frames are found on the Create tab. The first picture above just used the ‘Border’ type of frame.  The second one used the Daisy Frame, and then the Reflection frame after that..  Make sure to apply changes after you choose a particular frame.  When you’re done, click the button to Save to Picasa.  You then have a choice to Replace the Original or Save a Copy.

There are lots of frame choices to explore.  Take some time and have fun!  Notice that some of them are labeled ‘Premium’ – that means you need to pay.  See my previous article about Picnik for more info.

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