1. I prefer to work in a 3600x3600 template with 300dpi. I will remind you that make sure you are saving as .psd as you go along with your work.

2. First, I have to change my background color to gray or to any color you want. After that, set and show grids. Go to Edit>Preferences>Guides, Grids and Slices. Do the following settings for Grids. Then show the Grids. Go to View>Show>Grid or press CTRL+' in your keyboard. And if you want to hide the grid, just press again CTRL+'.


3. Now, create a new layer and name it as "cadres". By using the Rectangular Marquee tool , make a cadres like the one below. Use the grids as your guide. 




Then click the Add layer style button at the bottom of the Layer palette and choose Outer Glow. Do the following settings: Click OK when you are done.




4. Create a separate layer for this outer glow. Right click on the layer name and choose Create Layer. Choose the Cadres's outer glow layer and click the Eraser tool  and erase the glowing shadow inside the cadres.



5. Then group the cadres layer and the cadres's outer glow layer. CTRL+click on each layer name to select them and click the small arrow on the right of the palette and choose New Group from Layers and name this group as 1.




6. Duplicate this group three times making them 4. Move the one (group 2) to the right and transform the other two groups (groups 3 and 4). Use Edit>Transform>Rotate 90CW. Then position them like in the screenshot below. Use again the grids as your guide in positioning these cadres. Make a consistent spacing so that they may look even.





The numbers 1~4 indicate their respective group layer names.

7. For the next step, move/drag the group 2 above the group 3. Now, let us hide the grid (CTRL+') so that we cannot get confused. Select the group 1, click the reveal arrow and choose the cadres layer. Then click the Add Layer Mask button at the bottom of the Layer palette. After this, choose the Rectangular Marquee tool  and drag a selection like the one below:




8. Then press Delete. Do not deselect yet, instead invert the selection, press CTRL+Shift+I in your keyboard. If you deselect it already, just reselect (Select>Reselect). After inverting the selection, go to cadres's outer glow layer and click the Add Layer Mask button at the bottom of the Layer palette. (..hope you can follow). It is then automatically deselect. This look good now. Have you got it?




9. Minimize now your group 1. Select the group 3 and reveal it. Select the cadres layer and do the same thing as we did in the group 1. Click the add layer mask button, drag a selection, and press Delete.



Invert the selection (CTRL+Shift+I). Go to cadres's outer glow layer and click the add layer mask button and you will arrive at the result like this for the group 3.



10. Minimize now your group 3. Select the group 2 and reveal it. And again for the third time, select the cadres layer and do the same thing as we did in the group 1 and group 3. Click the add layer mask button, drag a selection, and press Delete.



Invert the selection (CTRL+Shift+I). Go to cadres's outer glow layer and click the add layer mask button and you will arrive at the result like this for the group 2. Wow, we are almost there. We are doing great.



11. For the next step, since we are concern now about the Group 4 and Group 1. It must appear that the bottom part of the Layer1 must be overlapped the Group 4. We cannot move the Group 1 above the Group 4 because it will conflict to the rest of the group layers.

So, what we gonna do now is first let's go back to Group 1, maximize the group and select the cadres layer. Make sure that you have clicked the thumbnail layer, the one being encircled below. Then drag a selection like the one in the screenshot. After that make a right click anywhere inside the selection and select the Layer Via Copy from the options.



This will create another layer. Then move this via copy layer all the way to the topmost layer.

Do the same thing in the cadres's outer glow layer. Make sure first that you have clicked the thumbnail layer and make a selection also and make a layer via copy and move the layer also to the top below the via copy layer of the cadres.

Zoom your image.This really looks terrible, isn't it? But it is ok. We will fix it. And by the way, please ignore the double "via copy" pointing in the Layer2 in this screenshot..it is a human error!




12. Eraser tool  to the rescue. Make sure that you select the Layer 2. Then start erasing the messy part that the arrows are pointing except on the parts being encircled, we need that shadow effect.




13. When you are done, minimize the group 1 and select now the group 4 and reveal it. Select the cadres layer and do the same thing as we did in the groups 1, 2, and 3. Click the add layer mask button, drag a selection, and press Delete, invert the selection (CTRL+Shift+I). Go to cadres's outer glow layer and click the add layer mask button.




Let us now take a look what we have for our final result. You can hide now your background and save it as .png so that you can use it over and over again in different layouts.