A fade with two controls, not one
A vignette is the oldest framing trick in photography: let the edges fall away so the eye goes to the middle. Most tools give it one slider and leave you to fight it. Here the fade has two. Strength sets how far the colour goes at the very edge, from a hint to solid; the border width sets its reach, how far in from the edge the fade begins. Together they cover everything from a barely there darkening to a deliberate tunnel.
The fade is drawn as a radial gradient over the frame, clear in the centre, rebuilt at the size of the file you save — so on a large print it is a smooth fall-off, not a stretched one. The colour is yours to choose: black for drama, white for a soft portrait, or a tone picked from the photo for a fade that seems to belong to the picture.
Fading the edges
- 1Open the photograph. Its edges fade softly to dark.
- 2Set Strength under Border and widen or narrow the reach with the width.
- 3Change the shade under Colour, or pick it from the photo.
- 4Compare with C, then save at full size.
Limits worth seeing before export
- A vignette over a photo whose subject touches the edge darkens the subject too; Outside placement adds the fade around the photo instead.
- A very strong dark vignette on a dark photo can make the corners pure black.
Questions about the rendered frame
- Does the vignette change the middle of the photo?
- No. The fade starts clear and only reaches as far in as the border width says. The centre of the picture is untouched.
- Can the vignette be white instead of black?
- Yes. The shade is an ordinary colour slot under Colour. White gives the soft, high-key portrait look; a colour taken from the photo with the dropper gives a gentler result than either black or white.
- How do I make it subtler?
- Lower Strength for a lighter fade, and narrow the border width so it reaches less far in. Hold the compare button, or press C, to see the photo with and without it.
- Is this the same as a camera lens vignette?
- It looks similar, but it is drawn on the finished photo rather than caused by the lens, so you control its colour, reach and strength exactly. It does not correct a vignette the lens already made.
