A: 

If the images are going to be shown on your own website, it would probably be easier to simply use CSS (especially if your bottom image simply gives a border...). Of course, if you want people to be downloading these files with the frame, that's a different story.

I don't think CI has a built in method in the Image Manipulation class. But, that class is simply abstracts typically-used features from one of the three major PHP image libraries (GD, ImageMagick, and NetPBM). If you know what library you are using (I normally use GD for basic things like this...), then you'll just have to use their proprietary ways of doing this stuff.

You can even make your own library or extend the Image Manipulation class to add your own special features.

Also, there may be ways to do this in Zend (not sure, I'm not going to look it up either). But, there are easy ways to include Zend components into CI if you do find something.

Good luck man!

KyleFarris
Kyle, thank you for the response. I've considered CSS, but decided not to go that route unless I absolutely need to. However, please don't view this question in the light of my pariticular example, but rather in the Principle of Merging Images with CI in general. Thank you again for the input! I'll look into Zend.
Jonathan Sampson
I figured you were posing it as a general question of 'how to merge images with CI'. Like I said, though, there really isn't a built in way unless you make one :-/. CI is pretty barebones, which in my opinion, is what makes it so awesome. I tried searching around to see if anyone else has already made an Image Manip. class extention library, but came up empty handed. Maybe you can be the dude to do it!!
KyleFarris
A: 

Agreed with Kyle -- your best bet is to extend the libraries already there. Take a look at ImageMagick "composite" command.

composite -gravity center smile.gif rose: rose-over.png

http://www.imagemagick.org/script/composite.php

jmccartie