How to Create a Vignette Effect in Adobe Photoshop for Mac
Open Photoshop., Select a photo and open it., Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool., Draw a rectangle slightly smaller than your photo., Feather your rectangle., Feather your rectangle to 500 px., Inverse the selection of your ellipse., Select...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Open Photoshop.
Photoshop may be in many places on your computer.
The easiest way to find it, if you have any difficulty, is to use the spotlight search at the top right of your Mac screen. -
Step 2: Select a photo and open it.
The vignette looks good on just about any photo.
Press open on the Photoshop main screen.
Finder will appear.
Choose whatever photo from your files you want to edit to get started. , This tool allows you to draw any type of square or rectangular selection on your photo.
You use it by simply click and dragging the mouse to make the rectangle bigger or smaller in any direction, then letting go when you are finished.
It won't actually draw anything over your photo.
It simply creates a selection so you can edit just that part of your photo without disturbing the rest.
This tool can be found in the tool bar on the left.
It is located second from the top.
If you press and hold down on the tool, a small box will appear with different variations of the tool.
You can also elect it by using hot key "M". , By doing this, you are beginning to create the selection that you will later use to be able to create the vignette.
Using the Marquee tool drag from just inside the top left of your photo and down to the bottom right.
More spaces on the edges will result in a larger vignette. , The term "feather" on Photoshop means "soft edges." By softening the edges, this will make the vignette fade into the center of the photo.
This step can be done two ways.
If you are using a mouse, right click in the middle of your rectangle and select "Feather".
If you are using a trackpad, click with two fingers and select "Feather". , It should turn into an ellipse.
Feel free to experiment with different pixel amounts.
The more you play around with different sizes, the more you will learn and be able to use in future projects. 500 px is a good basis, but you may find you prefer a larger or smaller amount for your vignette. , Since the vignette goes around the border of your photo, the selection needs to be inverted.
Once the you have pressed inverse. the dashed lines should now appear around your ellipse as well as around the border of your photo.
This step can be done two ways, depending on your hardware.
If you are using a mouse, right click and press "select inverse".
If you are using a trackpad, click with two fingers and press "select inverse". , Fill means precisely that.
It will take the selection and fill it up with something, in this case it will fill it with the color black.
This is where your vignette will come from.
Again this can be done with a mouse or a trackpad by either right clicking or clicking with two fingers, respectively. , Ensure that the color you are using is black.
You can play around with different modes to see which effects you like the most, however black is the setting used in this tutorial, as it is most true to an authentic vignette.
Raise the opacity to make it darker or lower it to make it lighter.
Darker generally creates a more authentic vignette. , You have created your vignette and now all that is left to do is admire your work.
Get it printed and framed for your home or office, post it on the social media of your choice to show it off to your friends, or make your new background for your computer.
Find another photo and try out the next method of creating a vignette. -
Step 3: Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool.
-
Step 4: Draw a rectangle slightly smaller than your photo.
-
Step 5: Feather your rectangle.
-
Step 6: Feather your rectangle to 500 px.
-
Step 7: Inverse the selection of your ellipse.
-
Step 8: Select “Fill”.
-
Step 9: Press OK. Once you have adjusted the settings after you press fill
-
Step 10: press OK to apply the fill.
-
Step 11: Finished.
Detailed Guide
Photoshop may be in many places on your computer.
The easiest way to find it, if you have any difficulty, is to use the spotlight search at the top right of your Mac screen.
The vignette looks good on just about any photo.
Press open on the Photoshop main screen.
Finder will appear.
Choose whatever photo from your files you want to edit to get started. , This tool allows you to draw any type of square or rectangular selection on your photo.
You use it by simply click and dragging the mouse to make the rectangle bigger or smaller in any direction, then letting go when you are finished.
It won't actually draw anything over your photo.
It simply creates a selection so you can edit just that part of your photo without disturbing the rest.
This tool can be found in the tool bar on the left.
It is located second from the top.
If you press and hold down on the tool, a small box will appear with different variations of the tool.
You can also elect it by using hot key "M". , By doing this, you are beginning to create the selection that you will later use to be able to create the vignette.
Using the Marquee tool drag from just inside the top left of your photo and down to the bottom right.
More spaces on the edges will result in a larger vignette. , The term "feather" on Photoshop means "soft edges." By softening the edges, this will make the vignette fade into the center of the photo.
This step can be done two ways.
If you are using a mouse, right click in the middle of your rectangle and select "Feather".
If you are using a trackpad, click with two fingers and select "Feather". , It should turn into an ellipse.
Feel free to experiment with different pixel amounts.
The more you play around with different sizes, the more you will learn and be able to use in future projects. 500 px is a good basis, but you may find you prefer a larger or smaller amount for your vignette. , Since the vignette goes around the border of your photo, the selection needs to be inverted.
Once the you have pressed inverse. the dashed lines should now appear around your ellipse as well as around the border of your photo.
This step can be done two ways, depending on your hardware.
If you are using a mouse, right click and press "select inverse".
If you are using a trackpad, click with two fingers and press "select inverse". , Fill means precisely that.
It will take the selection and fill it up with something, in this case it will fill it with the color black.
This is where your vignette will come from.
Again this can be done with a mouse or a trackpad by either right clicking or clicking with two fingers, respectively. , Ensure that the color you are using is black.
You can play around with different modes to see which effects you like the most, however black is the setting used in this tutorial, as it is most true to an authentic vignette.
Raise the opacity to make it darker or lower it to make it lighter.
Darker generally creates a more authentic vignette. , You have created your vignette and now all that is left to do is admire your work.
Get it printed and framed for your home or office, post it on the social media of your choice to show it off to your friends, or make your new background for your computer.
Find another photo and try out the next method of creating a vignette.
About the Author
Lisa Hill
Enthusiastic about teaching organization techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: