Photoshop, an immensely popular and powerful digital tool, serves designers across the world with a plethora of features. One of these is the Vignette effect – a photo editing technique used to emphasize the center of an image by subtly darkening or lightening the edges. Interested in learning how to apply this effect? Well, you’re at the right place! Let’s dive right in.
Step 1: Open Your Image in Photoshop
The first step, of course, is to open the image you want to apply the Vignette to. This can be done by clicking on File > Open and then selecting your image.
Step 2: Add a New Layer
Next, we need to add a new layer to our image. This can be done by selecting Layer > New > Layer…. Make sure to rename this layer as ‘Vignette’ for easy recognition.
Step 3: Select the Elliptical Marquee Tool
This tool can be found in the tools palette on the left side of the screen. Once you’ve selected it, draw an ellipse that covers the area of the photo you want to remain unaffected by the Vignette effect.
Step 4: Inverse Your Selection
Once you’ve made your selection, we need to inverse it. This can be done by heading to Select > Inverse.
Select > Inverse
Step 5: Fill the Selection
Next, we will fill our selection with black. Make sure your foreground color is set to black, then go to Edit > Fill and select ‘Foreground Color’.
Edit > Fill > Foreground Color
Step 6: Deselect and Apply the Gaussian Blur
Once your selection is filled, deselect by clicking on Select > Deselect. Then, apply the Gaussian Blur by selecting Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur…. Adjust the radius until you achieve the desired effect.
Select > Deselect Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur
Step 7: Adjust the Opacity
To finish off, adjust the opacity of your Vignette layer until it blends well with the original image. This will depend on the specific image and the effect you’re looking to achieve.
And voila! You’ve created a Vignette effect in Photoshop!
This is just one of the many ways you can use Photoshop to enhance and alter your images. Remember, the key to mastering Photoshop is practice and experimentation. So, go ahead, try out different effects and have fun!
