Adding a vignette to an image involves adding a subtle (or not so subtle) edge effect to it. A popular vignette technique involves darkening the edges of your image – it gives the image a slight border which helps keep the viewer’s eye in the photo. This is an effect which has been popular for years and which was is a feature of some classic film cameras such as the Holga (click to enlarge image below).

Nowadays many photographers and digital artists use vignettes as a way to finish their images. There are lots of ways to add a vignette to an image and here are some of them. I’ve included methods that work with Lightroom, Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. The latter process will work with most photo editing programs.

Lightroom 2

To add a vignette in Lightroom, move to the Develop module and choose the Vignette options. Set the Post Crop Amount value in a negative value to darken the edges. Set the Roundness to a low value such as -70 to get a rectangular vignette and set the Feather to around 50 so it is soft but not too soft.

Photoshop #1

A simple way to add a vignette in Photoshop is to use the Lens Correction filter. Choose Filter > Distort > Lens Correction and adjust the Vignette amount to the Left to a negative value and the Midpoint to the left to bring the vignette into the image more.

Photoshop #2

Another way to add a vignette in Photoshop is to use a Layer style. This has some benefits and one is that the method works on just about any size image and it’s simple to do once you have the Style created.

Make the background layer a regular layer by double clicking it and click Ok. Select the Add Layer Style icon at the foot of the Layer palette and choose Inner Glow. Set the Color to Black, set the blend mode to Darken or Multiply and adjust the Size so you can see the edge. You can save this as a style preset and you can then record the process of adding the style to the layer as an action so that you have a one click vignette solution.

Almost any photo-editing software

If your software supports layers and layer opacity then this method should work just fine in most photo editing programs. I’ve used Photoshop Elements and you should check your program’s help if you are unsure how to perform these tasks in your software.
Add a new layer using Layer > New > Layer and use the Rectangular Marquee to select around the inside border of this layer leaving a small margin. Choose Select > Inverse to invert your selection so the border area is selected. Now use the Paint Bucket to fill the area with black or dark brown. Choose Select > Deselect.

Choose Filter > Blur >Gaussian Blur and use a high radius value to blur the edge and soften it. Adjust the Layer Opacity to blend this edge into the image underneath and, if desired, set the Blend Mode to Darken or Multiply.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

Photoshop, Lightroom and Photoshop Elements: How do you Vignette?

Original post by Helen Bradley

Just Posted: Our review of the Fujifilm FinePix F200 EXR. Fujifilm has built up a reputation for following its own path when it comes to sensor technology, which has resulted in cameras such as the F30, F31fd and S5 Pro that have developed devoted followings. Now we have the FinePix F200 EXR, the first camera to incorporate the company’s Super CCD EXR technology. So does this latest wizardry live up to the promises of improved low-light performance and greater dynamic range? And, just as importantly, what’s the camera like to use? Find out the answer to both questions in our in-depth review.

Original post by Andrew Barrow

From the mountains of feedback that Digital Photography School generates there appears to be a skill division in visitors: there are those who are well up in digital imaging and those who could politely be described as ‘well down’.

For the ‘well down’ Digital Compact Cameras: Great Photos Every Time by Arnold Wilson is a book that skewers into the target with considerable accuracy. In its 144 pages you lead off with the basics, move into the control interface of a digital camera, slide into a discussion of accessories you could do with, then trip into the role of composition, use of colour, depth and perspective etc.

The information is accurate, precise, condensed.

A sample: “Check how a scene will look in a photograph by closing one eye.” Superb advice and a dose of help that should convince the beginner to think carefully before pressing the shutter button. After all, one of the hazards of digital cameras is the ease and cheapness of digital photography. Look Ma! No film! No cost!

I figure, in all the buzz of digital photography over the last few years, it has been all too easy to end up with a torrent of pictures that were, in the cold light of day, not worth the taking. Arnold Wilson’s book comes at exactly the right time.

There is also some serious help in rescuing an image that looked good at the moment of capture but fell over on the monitor: this leads on to advice on how to use image sharpening successfully; crop a loosely composed picture; tweaks to brightness, contrast and colour saturation are just a few basic that may have escaped the beginner’ attention span.

There’s a bit of a chat about the quality of light, how it varies from sunlight through noon to sunset as well as a serious look at the role of colour temperature. The point of these topics is that they’ll encourage the curious to investigate further.

The book has a pile of useful, basic and more than basic info. The printing quality is excellent as are the colour pictures.

Grab a copy of Digital Compact Cameras: Great Photos Every Time at Amazon.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

Digital Compact Cameras: Great Photos Every Time [BOOK REVIEW]

Original post by Barrie Smith

Bokeh is a Japanese term used in photography. It is used to describe the qualities of the area of a photo that is out of focus, and is used to help draw your eye to the subject of the photograph. Some pretty cool things happen with bokeh, too, and that’s what these brushes will help you to create… (posted by Jennifer Apple for www.PhotoshopSupport.com)

Original post by site admin