Adjustment layers...how to get a border/outline for the whole layer....

[Stonehedge]

Hi....

Suppose im having an adjustment layer and i shrink or modify its size....and i want the shrunk box to be obvious/visible...so is there any way to get the adjustment layer to show a border or color outline or drop shadow onto the bottom layer ?

Thanks

[Mylenium]

Not how adjustment layers work. You would simply use a normal solid and apply whatever effect to it, setting it to render on transparent so the source pixels disappear. You can even apply a matching full size mask to it with a simple double-click on the shape tool icon and obviously resize that. Point in case: You will need an extra layer one way or the other.

Mylenium

[Stonehedge]

Hi Thanks....extra layer ?....hmmm....i have a pic fitting the main comp. This is an adjust layer with box blur effect on top of the pic. So its working.....theres a box in the middle of the pics thats blurred....just i want the blur box to have an outline. Hope im explaining correctly.

[Rick Gerard]

If you put a mask on an adjustment layer, add Gaussian Blur to the Adjustment layer, turn off Repeat Edge Pixels, then add Stroke and use the mask for the stroke, you will end up with a blurred area that fits inside the mask that has a stroke around it. 

Most of the time, using adjustment layers in a composite is a pretty bad idea because it affects every layer below the adjustment layer, but if you want to blur everything below the adjustment layer, adding a blur to an adjustment layer with a mask or even adding blur to a shape layer and setting the shape layer as an adjustment layer would be a decent approach. The only problem with using Stroke on a mask is that Stroke is only an 8-bit effect. 

I would probably use a shape layer to create the stroke and put a duplicate of the shape layer below it, and set that layer as an Adjustment layer with Gaussian Blur added. If you worked that way, you would not have to turn off Repeat Edges, you could work in 16 or 32-bit projects with no color problems, and shift + parenting the shape layers together would keep things lined up if you needed to animate the effect.

[Stonehedge]

Yes that is the effect as shown in your screen capture. Thanks a lot for pointing it out.

[Stonehedge]

Thanks Mylenium for chiming in.

[Stonehedge]

Its not working. I couldnt find the small button that you say is at the bottom of the layers panel. But i went into the main menu on top and chose layer styles....then within the layer i found new parameters...i chose the colors and gave inside outside, every option...cant see the line at all....but i can see the blur or position effect moving outwards like a border extending the adjust layer. So the stroke is appearing but its invisible kinda.

[Alexa29295117tld1]

Yes, you can add a border or stroke to your adjustment layer to make it more visible. Here's how you can do it in :Select your adjustment layer in the Layers panel. Click on the Layer Style icon at the bottom of the Layers panel (it looks like an "fx" icon). Choose "Stroke" from the list of layer styles. In the Stroke dialog box, you can adjust the size, color, and position of the stroke around your adjustment layer. You can also check here for more decortrendy  choose whether the stroke should be inside, outside, or centered on the layer. Click "OK" to apply the stroke.

If you want to add a drop shadow instead, you can choose "Drop Shadow" from the list of layer styles in step 3, and then adjust the settings to create the desired drop shadow effect. By adding a stroke or drop shadow to your adjustment layer, you can make it stand out more clearly against the layers below it.

[Stonehedge]

Thanks Alexa for telling me in a simplistic manner. Very kind of you.

Its not working. I couldnt find the small button that you say is at the bottom of the layers panel. But i went into the main menu on top and chose layer styles....then within the layer i found new parameters...i chose the colors and gave inside outside, every option...cant see the line at all....but i can see the blur or position effect moving outwards like a border extending the adjust layer. So the stroke is appearing but its invisible kinda. 😳 

[Stonehedge]

Just now added a fresh adjustment layer. Made it small on the comp like a stamp. Right clicked on it and selected Layer Styles > Stroke. A landscape photo is below it on the comp. Added effects to the layer and tried....., removed all effects and tried, try what not.....the border just doesnt appear at all on the small adjustment layer. I dropped a small jpg of small size on the comp and tried the same layer style method and it works. It seems like it doesnt work for adjustment layers ?

[Rick Gerard]

Use a shape layer or a mask and stroke on a comp sized adjustment layer.