Fading edges of a rectangular image

JS
Posted By
Jonathan_Stewart
May 24, 2004
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6479
Replies
5
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Closed
I need to make the edges of a rectangular image fade out evenly, leaving the central (major) portion of the image fully visable. I believe this may be called vignetting. But I’ve searched your forums and only came up with something about a horse that talks about erasing, and another that shows how to use a mask to put a gradation over an entire layer. But neither quite hit the mark. What I want is something similar but more elegant and less dependent on my ability with the eraser tool, and a solution that only effects a strictly limited portion of the image. I’ve tried using the gradation tool, of course, but it is limited to round or one-direction only fades. The fade I have in mind must be even on all sides of a rectangle. Any ideas?
Related Tags
edge fade image rectangle

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CW
Colin_Walls
May 24, 2004
Create a graduated layer mask – use a diamond or radial graduation.
LF
Linda_Farmer
May 24, 2004
Here’s one way that works for me. Try this on a copy of your image to see if it does what you’re looking for:

1. Double click on the background layer to transform it into a layer
2. Make a rectangular selection in your image about where you want the fading to start, try about 10 pixels or so from the edges.
3. Invert the selection (Select > Inverse)
4. Apply the Feather command (Select > Feather), choose number of pixels in the dialogue box that opens, try 5 pixels just for testing the effect, and select OK.
5. Hit the delete key. This removes the pixels in the inverted selection and leaves you with the feathered edge and a transparent background.

If you want a colored background around the edges, add a layer below and fill it with that color.
GS
Gustavo_Sanchez
May 24, 2004
Jonathan

You might try this to make vignettes:

(Make sure that the image is unflattened: That is – The background layer is not named ‘background’ but any other name).

1. Select The part of the image you want to vignette. It may be round, oval or whatever. <start recording action here>
2. Invert Selection.
3. Goto layer – layer mask – show all.
4. Fill with black. (Now part of the image must have disappeared).
5. Deselect.
6. Filter Other-Minimun: Give a value of 10 pixels (value depending of resolution. This one would work for a 300 dpi). Now you must see even less.
7. Filter Blurr-Gaussian Blur: 15 pixels (value related with the afore mentioned one). <stop recording action here>
<save action>

You may make this an action (where indicated). Hope it helps

Gustavo Sánchez

(Posted from Spain).
HK
Harron_K._Appleman
May 24, 2004
A couple of my favorite techniques:

< http://www.adobeevangelists.com/pdfs/photoshop/neworupdatedf or6PS6/LayerMasks.pdf>

(the last two steps)

Also… Dave’s technique <http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx?14@@.1de945c0/3>.

=-= Harron =-=
K
Kov-Ice
Aug 9, 2004
Harron, in your first link, the second to last step says to "open the edge file." From where does one open the "edge file?" The document doesn’t discuss it in any of the preceeding steps…
Thanks,
Scott

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