Enhancing Images Using Vignettes (in Photoshop)
Creating a vignette to highlight the subject of your photograph is an excellent way to enhance your images and is extremely easy to do in Photoshop CS6. Here are Step by Step directions to make your images more powerful with vignettes. (While not exactly the same, these instructions will also help you create a vignette in Photoshop Elements as well.)Step One
Open your image in Photoshop like usual. Use your usual workflow to correct and adjust your image. Once you are satisfied with your final image, make sure the top layer is selected and press CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+E to merge all layers into a new layer.
Step Two
Decide whether you want an elliptical or rectangular vignette and then choose the Marquee Tool by clicking on its icon or pressing “M” (or “SHIFT+M” depending on how you have your Preferences set up) to choose the Marquee Tool.
Step Three
Set the Feather setting in the Toolbar to somewhere between 100 and 250 pixels depending of the resolution of your image and the smoothness of the transition you want between the vignette and your subject. Left click your mouse in the upper left hand area of your image, and while holding the mouse button down, drag down and to the right releasing your mouse to create your selection. (TIP: If you hold down the Spacebar while holding the left mouse button down you can re-position the selection anywhere in the frame.)
Step Four
Now you have your subject selected but you want the vignette around your subject, not on it, so we need to reverse the selection. Do this by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+I (the letter I), or go to the Select menu and choose “Inverse.”
Step Five
Add an adjustment layer by choosing either a Levels or Curves adjustment. You can now choose to create either a light or dark vignette by dragging the appropriate slider or curve.
Step Six
Once you have completed your vignette, save the image with a new name to avoid overwriting your original file.
There are several other ways to create a vignette for your photograph, but this method is the one I use most often for its simplicity and great results. I hope this helps you to create stronger, and more compelling images … to better express your vision.
- Don Barnes
[PRINT as a PDF]
Open your image in Photoshop like usual. Use your usual workflow to correct and adjust your image. Once you are satisfied with your final image, make sure the top layer is selected and press CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+E to merge all layers into a new layer.
Step Two
Decide whether you want an elliptical or rectangular vignette and then choose the Marquee Tool by clicking on its icon or pressing “M” (or “SHIFT+M” depending on how you have your Preferences set up) to choose the Marquee Tool.
Step Three
Set the Feather setting in the Toolbar to somewhere between 100 and 250 pixels depending of the resolution of your image and the smoothness of the transition you want between the vignette and your subject. Left click your mouse in the upper left hand area of your image, and while holding the mouse button down, drag down and to the right releasing your mouse to create your selection. (TIP: If you hold down the Spacebar while holding the left mouse button down you can re-position the selection anywhere in the frame.)
Step Four
Now you have your subject selected but you want the vignette around your subject, not on it, so we need to reverse the selection. Do this by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+I (the letter I), or go to the Select menu and choose “Inverse.”
Step Five
Add an adjustment layer by choosing either a Levels or Curves adjustment. You can now choose to create either a light or dark vignette by dragging the appropriate slider or curve.
Step Six
Once you have completed your vignette, save the image with a new name to avoid overwriting your original file.
There are several other ways to create a vignette for your photograph, but this method is the one I use most often for its simplicity and great results. I hope this helps you to create stronger, and more compelling images … to better express your vision.
- Don Barnes
[PRINT as a PDF]