How to Create a Border for a small image or video

Hi,
Could you let me know if there is a fast method for adding a border to an image on top of a video?
In my searches over the form, I could only find how to add a border and modify it each time.
(i have seen a similar treed, but it was answering how to add a random border on screen.)

As for now, I am adding 4 drop shadow effects into the jpg or video, and then I can get a good border, which will be the same in all of my videos.

I'd appreciate it if you could let me know if there is a faster method.

Add a Solid Color underneath, Crop to suit, then create a Compound of the clip and Solid.

I've made a custom fusion effect that adds a stroke. You can use it from the edit page. You need to have Resolve 17.

Download the setting file from here https://www.dropbox.com/s/pnaic46pizup4 ... tting?dl=1
and copy it to the appropriate folder, on windows the folder is "C:\Users\Your Username\AppData\Roaming\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\Support\Fusion\Templates\Edit\Effects"

Here is a an updated version
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pnmg6k1f ... 0t5ff&dl=1

NICE!
Thanks for that.
Now I just need a simple drop shadow just like your stroke. I've gotta learn how to make those things.

Thank you panos_mts for a brilliantly simple solution to the "Edit Page border problem" we've had for a long time now. Regards RED

Amazing thank you!

I have made a custom fusion effect that adds a stroke. You can use it from the edit page. You need to have Resolve 17.

Download the setting file from here https://www.dropbox.com/s/pnaic46pizup4 ... tting?dl=1
and copy it to the appropriate folder, on windows the folder is "C:\Users\Your Username\AppData\Roaming\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\Support\Fusion\Templates\Edit\Effects"

Thank you so much, worked like a charm! Just spent hour trying a lot of different ways unsuccessfully, this saved my ass

I use it on all my projects! Is there a way to set default colour and thickness?

I use it on all my projects! Is there a way to set default colour and thickness?

Add the effect on a clip, go to the inspector and click the wand icon (next to the trash can icon). The fusion page will open, select the stroke node and change the parameters ιn the inspector. Right click on the stroke node and select -> Settings -> Save As...
Once you save the .setting file, move it to the corresponding folder.

OMG "THE" time saver!

Thank you so much!

For the records on my system the correct folder (Resolve 18, Windows) is:

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\Support\Fusion\Templates\Edit\Effects

I use it on all my projects! Is there a way to set default colour and thickness?

Add the effect on a clip, go to the inspector and click the wand icon (next to the trash can icon). The fusion page will open, select the stroke node and change the parameters ιn the inspector. Right click on the stroke node and select -> Settings -> Save As...
Once you save the .setting file, move it to the corresponding folder.

This tool is amazing. I'm curious, how could one edit the border like rounding the edges? Examples attached.

The only other work around I found for "editable" borders was this:
1) apply colored border (Edit page Effect but lands in the Fusion side of Inspector
2) apply Transform effect (Edit page Effect but lands in the Open FX side of Inspector)
3) use the clips video transform tools (inspector) to move around/re-size
4) allows you to apply things like drop shadows that take the shape of the rounded corners

The problem with this method is making changes to the clip using the Transform EFFECT (#2) instead of inspector seems to treat it like a compound clip and blurs things. It doesn't keep its sharpness; it's very odd.

Here is an updated version of the template that allows you to round the edges.
You can also blur and offset the stroke to create shadow/glow effects.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pnmg6k1f ... 0t5ff&dl=1

OMG! I've been hoping to do something like that!

Thank you so much!

Here is an updated version of the template that allows you to round the edges.
You can also blur and offset the stroke to create shadow/glow effects.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pnmg6k1f ... 0t5ff&dl=1

I'm amazed at how fast you edited that. Seriously thank you so much.

Just want to add my thanks for this fabulous effect, which is what the native version should be, by any common sense. Cheers!

Dear, great job!
Really appreciate.

Just a question.

When I rotate the images the border corners become bizzare.
Any tips to avoid it?

Thanks
Federico

When I rotate the images the border corners become bizzare.

I noticed that this happens when you rotate the image and the stroke filter is set to box.
If you set it to circle it works fine but the edges will be slightly rounded.

If you want to keep the filter to box, a workaround is to transform the image by using the Transform OpenFX

In DaVinci 18.5 they added a new fusion effect that called Paper Edge. You can use it to create borders. By default the border will be jagged but you can set the Edge Contrast parameter to 0 to have straight borders like my effect. This effect shows the same behavior when you rotate an image with the filter set to box.

This lovely effect seems to be broken in 18.6.2, or it only works on certain image types, or it conflicts with other settings or effects in the timeline? I'm not sure what the issue is, but it stopped working for me halfway through a project recently, and I had to make do without borders entirely. I've had similarly flaky behavior with effects I tried to create myself in Fusion (given that I don't actually know what I'm doing).

This lovely effect seems to be broken in 18.6.2, or it only works on certain image types, or it conflicts with other settings or effects in the timeline? I'm not sure what the issue is, but it stopped working for me halfway through a project recently, and I had to make do without borders entirely. I've had similarly flaky behavior with effects I tried to create myself in Fusion (given that I don't actually know what I'm doing).

I've actually not yet updated to 18.6+ (still on 18.5) for the sole reason of how often I use panos_mts' stroke effect and you saying it's currently broken.

I'm at a point now though where 18.6 has some new fusion nodes that I'd like to try out, so I might bite the bullet and update, risking the loss of this stroke effect.

Did you ever figure out why it was acting up?
Thanks!

I use it all the time and it's working for me. I am on 18.6.4.

I use it all the time and it's working for me. I am on 18.6.4.

Ok awesome, cause while the new built-in "paper edge" tool from Davinci tries to do the same thing, it fails when you have PNGs without much transparent space outside of the visual image (like the visual border of the image vs its file border if that makes sense).

Anyways glad panos' tool still works, I'll update to 18.6! Thanks Tony.

oh I wasn't aware of the paper edge effect, thanks!

When I rotate the images the border corners become bizzare.

I noticed that this happens when you rotate the image and the stroke filter is set to box.
If you set it to circle it works fine but the edges will be slightly rounded.

If you want to keep the filter to box, a workaround is to transform the image by using the Transform OpenFX

In DaVinci 18.5 they added a new fusion effect that called Paper Edge. You can use it to create borders. By default the border will be jagged but you can set the Edge Contrast parameter to 0 to have straight borders like my effect. This effect shows the same behavior when you rotate an image with the filter set to box.

Panos, I noticed the function doesn't work sometimes, and I'm beginning to think it's when I have the Project settings (Image scaling) Input set to "Center crop...no resizing"

Any way you think the effect could be altered to work with a project that has those settings? I still use it so much, but lately I've preferred that one project setting so that large footage isn't scaled down using "1.0" as their shrunken size (e.g., when the setting is set to "scale entire image to to fit" I notice 1440p footage is shrunken down to my 1080p canvas with "1.0" zoom, then if I need to blow up a portion of the image it pixelates it)

I tried some images with "Center crop with no resizing" but it worked fine.
Can you share a minimal test project that shows the problem?

I need to check this website for replies more often! Didn't notice you replied so quickly. I'm still pretty novice, I'm not even sure how to "share a project" from davinci.

I'll see if I can google that, create a new small project with an example, and show you what I mean.

Edit 1: I solved the issue by making the image a compound clip, then adding your effect to that
Edit 2: I can't replicate the issue in a brand new project, but recorded a video showing you what I mean:

When Resolve does weird things I delete the cache folder. I am not an expert but I think that most of what you see there is pre-rendered stuff in the cache folder. If something happened, DR might not realise it needs to re-render the cache.

Because it seems to be working on a new project, I'd "blame" DR and try with the cache. My favourite way is to close DR, wait 60 seconds then delete the folder. It should be safe to do.
Or, you can delete it from the GUI.

Good luck

I feel like such a newbie I don't think I've ever deleted a cache folder... If DR makes cache folders to speed up work-flow, wouldn't deleting it make the next time I open the project very slow again?

Pardon my lack of knowledge, I'll search up on this and how to properly delete cache folders. Thanks!

Yes. The next time you open Resolve everything will need to be cached up again.

That said, I keep the pre-render disabled, I don't like my PC going 100% whenever I stop moving the mouse!

The issue with cache is that: sometimes something goes wrong with the cache and the only solution (in my experience) is to delete it. Granted, you lose all your pre-cached stuff but I do not see alternative I'm afraid.

Let us know how it goes