Step 5: Select "Layer 1"

We're ready to begin creating the torn edges effect, but first, we need to make sure we're working on the correct layer. At the moment, we have "Layer 2" selected, which we know because "Layer 2" is highlighted in blue in the Layers panel. We need to be working on the image on "Layer 1", so click on "Layer 1" to make it the currently active layer:

Step 6: Select The Eraser Tool

Select Photoshop's Eraser Tool from the Tools panel. You can also quickly select the Eraser Tool by pressing the letter E on your keyboard:

Step 7: Select The 100 Rough Round Bristle Brush

We can use any of Photoshop's brushes with the Eraser Tool, just as we could if we were using the actual Brush Tool. Click on the Brushes panel toggle icon in the Options Bar at the top of the screen:

This opens the Brushes panel. Click on the menu icon in the top right corner of the Brushes panel to bring up a list of menu options for the panel. I'm using Photoshop CS4 here. In earlier versions of Photoshop, the menu icon looks like a small arrow. When the menu appears, select Large List:

This changes how the brushes are displayed in the Brushes panel, making it easier to see exactly which brush we're selecting. With the brushes now displayed in the Large List format, scroll down to the bottom of the list and click on the 100 Rough Round Bristle brush to select it:

If you want to switch back to the way the brushes were displayed originally, click on the Brushes panel's menu icon and select Small Thumbnail from the list.

Click again on the Brushes panel toggle icon in the Options Bar once you've chosen the brush to close out of the Brushes panel.

Step 8: Erase Around The Edges Of The Image

Let's begin by creating our initial torn edges effect along the left side of the image. I say "initial" because once we've worked our way around the entire image once, we're going to go back around a second time, but we'll get to that later. Position the Eraser Tool so that it's in the top left corner of the document with only about 25-30% of the brush extending in to the image. The rest of the brush should be outside of the image in the white space we added back in the beginning of the tutorial. Click once, then with your mouse button still held down, drag a short brush stroke down along the upper left edge of the image. You'll see sections of the edge being erased away as you drag, creating the beginning of our torn edges effect:

As we can see in the screenshot above, the initial brush stroke didn't completely remove the initial straight edge. There's still a faint part of it visible, and that's due to the shape of the bristle brush we're using. You'll probably need to go back over the same area two or three times before the straight edge is completely gone.

Continue working your way down the left side of the image by clicking and dragging out short brush strokes, always keeping 70-75% of the brush shape outside of the image in the white area so we don't erase too much of the edge. If you make a mistake and need to undo your last brush stroke, press Ctrl+Z (Win) / Command+Z (Mac) to undo it, or press Ctrl+Alt+Z (Win) / Command+Option+Z (Mac) repeatedly to undo multiple brush strokes:

If you find that the default brush size is too large for your image, you can change the size of the brush on the fly with the left and right bracket keys. Press the left bracket key ( [ ) to make the brush smaller, or press the right bracket key ( ] ) to make it larger.

Once you reach the bottom left corner of the photo, continue moving around the rest of the image until you're back in the top left corner where you began. When you're done, your edges should look something like this:

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