Quote - [...]I would love something where the surround (frame) was dimensional so it cast a shadow not only on the wall but also a little on the inset picture.

To clarify what I've made so far, the Surround material is supposed to be the equivalent of the white area on the left hand example you posted (the poster frame). It's usually a piece of thick card or plain paper, sometimes with the picture title and artist's name on it like the one you showed. I'm planning to add a frame so that you can have those shadows. It will follow the same morphs, but probably not be very elaborate. Fine detail such as that in your right hand picture is probably best added with a bump or displacement map. > Quote - [...]Whether there should be a second transparent reflective layer over the inset to act as the glass/plexi I don't know if I should ask for but once it is there it is easy to get rid off.

I had thought the exact same thing, so don't worry about asking. It's only one extra polygon, after all. ;)