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Vignette photos
Focusing on key elementsTonya Doughty
Editorial Deck Crewmember
This month we're headed to Japan. I imagine when you live on an island, space is at a premium. Well, think of your layout as an island - you have a lot to show and say, and not much real estate to do it in. One effective technique, obviously, is cropping, but sometimes you want to show the whole photo, for ambience, but keep the focus on what's most important. A good way to do this is to create a blurred vignette. For this tutorial I will use Adobe Photoshop CS2, but you should be able to duplicate it with other raster-based programs that support layering.
1. Open the photo you wish to vignette, make a duplicate copy and close the original.
2. Using the elliptical marquee tool, draw an oval-shaped selection where you want the focus to be.
3. Create a new layer. Hold the Alt (PC)/Option (Mac) key and click on the Layer Mask icon in the Layers Palette to create a layer mask from the oval selection and fill it with black.
4. Click on the regular layer thumbnail. Press "D" to set foreground color to black and press Alt-Backspace (PC) (Option-Delete for Mac). Lower the opacity to 60-70%.
5. Click on the layer mask thumbnail (the one with the black oval). Go to the Filter menu and choose Gaussian Blur. Drag the slider to the right until the edges are soft and pleasing to you. The amount will depend on your original file resolution. In this example, at 72 dpi, I used 20.5. Go back to the Filter menu and choose the Noise filter. Amount is 2-4%. Distribution is Gaussian..
Bonus: This technique allows you to create many special effects. Use the oval selection to constrain other effects to the oval portion, or the outside of the oval. Any effect will then only alter the selected part. Try changing the selection to greyscale for a great emphasis. Or darken or lighten the area outside the oval for another type of focus. Other blurs work well, too, such as Motion or Radial. When used on elegant greyscale photos, like weddings, this effect is classic.
Have fun and keep scrappin'!
Tonya Doughty
tonyadoughty@ssreflections.com
Editorial Deck Crewmember
S.S. Reflections, Inc.
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***Disclaimers - While individual techniques may vary, always follow product manufacturers' directions and cautions for safety and best results.
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