I would like to find some free software that will allow me to easily put a (frame and matte and signature) around my pictures before posting them to my gallery here. Has anyone found Freeware or free online utility that can do these three things I need. Frame, Matte and signature. I could just make each part in Photoshop but I'd rather spend the time on the art itself. Thank's for any help.

ah crap..I had one a while back. Try some of these
www.simtel.com
www.shareware.com
www.nonags.com
www.sourceforge.com
should be something around there, I hope..

Thanks Pakled But I tried those and about 20 other places. all I can find is either not free or leave a water mark or cant do all three things I need. Anybody Else found anything? All I need is the title of the software, if I had that I'm sure I could find a place that has it.

You have photoshop, yet you want something else for this job? Sheesh... Just how hard is it to use layers and maybe slap on an effect?

do a search for photofilter. Its freeware. And decent.

Totally agree with pauljs75. I do all my frames with Ultra Fractal 3, but that's a different art form in itself, (and not free).

Aye, I agree with Paul. It's really, really easy to make frames in Photoshop. I'll run you through it really quick... Step 1 : After finishing your image, open it in Photoshop. Push Ctrl-A to select all, and then Ctrl-C to copy your image to the clipboard. Step 2 : Now start a New image in Photoshop. This new image will come up with the same dimensions as your rendered image. Add 10 or 20 pts to each side, so if your original image was 800x600 make your new one 830x630 or so... Step 3 : Push Ctrl-V to paste your render onto the New, blank image. Step 4 : In the Layers panel, turn off the layer of your render, so you have just a blank background. Now run any filter or image you want, make any adjustments, until you're happy with the graphics for your frame. Or import another render or a photo. Step 5 : Now turn on your render's Layer, and select Layer Effects - Bevel and Emboss. Try the different options, like Pillow Emboss, and tweak it until your render blends well with the frame imagery! When you're done, flatten it all, and convert it to .jpg for web use. Photoshop sucks at compression, so if you can get your hands on Riptide or another true 8-bit .jpg compressor, do that. Much more flexibility, and smaller file-sizes. The reason I typed all this was so you didn't get suckered into using a framing filter. If you're making original art, you need original frames too. Don't settle for pre-rendered frames, it's a lazy way out! Good luck!

lordstormdragon is wise. ;)

Another way to do it is. 1. Using the Canvas Size option from the Menu you can increase it to 10 or 20 pixels like mentioned above. 2. Now using the Magic wand tool Click in the new border that you created by increasing the canvas size, now youre border has been selected. 3. Try using the built in "Styles" Option in photoshop to create different borders. Try Bevel & Boss and Even try pasting Images into that Border.

Aye, Analog's method is a bit more refined, although I prefer to work in Layers... Either way, the ting is to be creative on all fronts. Never settle for other's work, or the quick-job, unless the customer wants it that way...

Thanks For all the help. Lots to think about. Sometimes I get carried away on efficient use of time. A few minutes wasted is nothing, but a few minits wasted over and over does make hours and days wasted. I thought it might save little time to get a simple plugin that could do three things, sometimes I feel like posting something and only have a few minits in the evening to do it then I start doing a frame a matte signature and trying to make it just right and run out of time, but after reading these posts I have realized there is apparently a fine line between lazy and efficient. And pauljs75 is probably right. pauljs75 said "You have photoshop, yet you want something else for this job? Sheesh... Just how hard is it to use layers and maybe slap on an effect?" Made me think I should just chill, take some time and do it. So I'm probly going to expand canvas use photoshop styles, type me name and be done. Besides that I can't find find any free easy software that can do it all anyway. Again Thanks all

Take some time to create a signature for yourself preferably using vector graphics like with the pen tool. Or after creating a raster sig, select it and save the selection as a path in the path palette. Then make the original raster signature layer invisible and select the path on a new layer. Once done, you can select and save your vector signature as a shape in Photoshop and bring it up onto a new layer, select it by holding down the Ctrl key and click the layer, color and position it above the render whenever you need it. The point is so that you can enlarge or shrink the signature as needed for different sized images with little or no pixelation and it will be always available without having to recreate a new signature every time.

Also note that if the frame is it's own layer, you could save it as it's own .psd for reuse with multiple images. As for myself I use Jasc PSP, and the technique involved is thisclose to PS. It's not that hard really. (Also speaking from experience with PS on the school 'puters.) If you do this a lot... Later versions of PaintShopPro (which I don't have) might even be better, because I believe they have a batch image manipulation tool. I'm not sure if PhotoShop has that. It's something you might want to research a bit. BTW - If I sounded critical, it's 'cuz you're sitting right there on the tool for the job. (Which some people stuck with only MS Paint would kill to have.) ;)