1. Open picture file
2. Open a blank layer above the background layer

3. Access the rectangular marquee tool and drag out a suitably sized rectangle

4. Go to Edit>stroke (outline) selection, position:inside, black color

5. Access the Effects palette, select drop shadow - low - apply

6. Go to Select>deselect
7. On the layer with the stroke, double click the fx in the layers panel to bring up the Style settings dialog. Adjust the drop shadow and add an inner glow. Use the sliders.
8. Duplicate this layer twice
9. Access the move tool, and move the frames on the last 2 layers so that they are in the desired position. Note the little arrow to rotate the layers to get them off center as you hover adjacent to the frame

Please post one of your pictures after you have applied the frames. Tell me specifically what you want to get rid of.

Will get back to you once I see it

Try this:

1. Open your picture file

2. Duplicate the background layer, work on the background copy layer. Shut off visibility of the background layer by clicking on its eye icon

3. Open a levels adjustment layer and use the sliders to enhance the picture (esp. left slider)
4. Merge down. leaving you with background and background copy layers

5. Access one of the selection tools. I used the magnetic lasso tool, and selected around the boxes and the boy's feet

6. Go to Layer>new>layer via copy to put the selection on its own layer
7. Open a blank layer below this layer and fill with 50% gray (Edit>fill layer>50%gray), and drag a gradient on this layer while holding down the shift key, from below up. You can use any background to suit. I used the soft gradient for demonstration.
8. Go back to the layer created in step #6, and sharpen slightly (Enhance>unsharp mask, 96, 0.7,1)
9. Highlight the top layer, and place a blank layer above this, then press CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+E to create a stamp visible layer
10. Go to Select>all, then Edit>stroke to place a "frame" around the entire thing.

Please report back with your progress.

I like to set this up in my work-flow so that painting ( if desired) pure white or black on a 50 percent gray overlay layer can produce high-contrast results. As this drill evolved, it is not necessary for a salutary result.

Great job, Ken !!

Jami,

I'm using PSE10, and after making a rectangular selection there is the option of using Select...Transform Selection to move and resize the selection.  If that option isn't available in your version of PSE, then Mark's instruction is the way to do it -- outline the selection, which will create an object that the Move tool can manipulate.

Mark,

You're exactly right about the stroke's corners being rounded if not placed "inside" the selection.  Thanks for pointing that out.  It's a bug I wish Adobe would fix.

I found that there were slight differences when using a H/S adjustment layer to colorize the frame, depending on whether the initial stroke wasn't coloured (black or white) vs. an initial colour (like blue).

Ken