Make your eliptical selection and feather it.
Now make a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer who’s the mask will be based upon the feathered selection. Moving the "Lightness" slider will allow you to vignette to either black or white.
That kinda worked but I’d like it to fade from the selection outwards, in a gradient from the color of the image to transparent. When I did what you suggested and adjusted the lightness it just faded to either white or black; did I maybe just do it wrong? I am kinda a noob.
Place the image on a layer, and use a layer mask
Marvin,
Feathering begins 2.7 radii inside the selected edge where the opacity is 100%. Opacity decreases outwardly on an exponential S-like curve from there to 50% at the edge and to zero at another 2.7 radii beyond the edge. By enlarging the selection ellipse, you can in effect move the opacity curve outward (or inward should you shrink the ellipse), so that you are able to customize the taper to start wherever you like. To start with 100% opacity right on the original edge, enlarge the ellipse 2.7 feather radii, having first chosen the feather radius to give the gradation range you find desirable.
George
OK George, I’ll give it a shot; so is there no way to use the gradient tool to do what I’m trying to do? Just curious as it would seem to make things easier.
The first one of the ones you made is exactly what I’m trying to do. Can you tell me how you did that? Once I learn the technique I can apply it to all kinds of stuff (so teach me how to fish so i can eat for a lifetime PLEASE).
After you make your selection, Feather it at twice the desired amount. Enter Quick Mask mode. Run Levels on the Quick Mask, and enter 127 in the rightmost input box. Exit Quick Mask, back to Standard Mode. The selection will now extend outward from where it was originally.
Finally, Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection.
Of course Marvin. Details below are based on Photoshop CS.
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http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1eQ222nZ96dFXjibns cDf58DT5v4f1>
1 – copy background image (my Layer 6 as I had a few attempts)
2 – perform an elliptical selection on background copy
3 – adjust the selection (Selection > Transform selection or others)
4 – CTRL+J the selection to a new layer and then CTRL+J to double these up. These form Layers 4 and 5 in the image at Pixentral.
5 – Layer 6 has a layer mask applied to it. In Photoshop CS Alt + click on a layer mask opens/closes an editable version of the layer mask onscreen. Apply a radial gradient fill (black to white) to the layer mask and Alt + click to return to the main image again.
Do a bit of fine-tuning so you have the composition as you like it then save as a PSD file.
Export to JPEG, TIFF, PNG, GIF, … depending upon what the printer may want. JPEG does not support transparency so these will appear as white whereas PNGs (for example) will retain transparency. (GIF may not do what you want it to)
To save with transparency you may need to use PNG.
I’d like to do the same thing, but I want to fade to transparent, as I want to put it into another picture (one with a lot of noise) and I want it to blend seamlessly.
Marvyn,
Of the gradient tool options (linear, radial, angle, reflective, diamond),the radial gradient might be acceptable if the ellipse is not too far from circular and if you don’t mind directionally disproportionate tapering. But, really, feathering is a better approach because it accomodates gradients emanating from an elliptical edge.
Although the feathering begins 2.7 feather radii inside the edge and extends 2.7 radii beyond, the rate-of-change in opacity is very low at the extremes. The rate is greatest right on the selection edge. So, you are not likely to want a full 2.7 radii edge shift.
What you should do after establishing the feather radius desired and the ellipse where you want NOTICEABLE tapering to begin is SELECT>MODIFY>EXPAND and enter xr pixels in the "expand by" box, trying x = 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, etc (where r = feather radius in pixels),ultimately choosing the expansion increment that works best for you. I suggest trying fractions or multiples of the feather radius for your elliptical expansions as more educated guesses but, heck, you can trial-and-error with any pixel expansion number you like.
Basically, you’re establishing the gradient rate via the feather radius, and you’re establishing the effective boundary where observable gradation commences via the expanded selection ellipse. The gradient produced by feathering is essentially linear over its midrange, behaving exponentially only at the ends where little of the real action takes place.
George
Thanks George; really this is something that I’d like to be able to do from time to time but not always using an elipse, it seems like it should be a relatively easy thing to do but it isn’t turning out that way.
I’d like to be able to just make a selection (round or otherwise) and then invert it, choose the foreground to transparent gradient, and then apply the gradient to the selection but have the gradient be equal from all around the selection.
This kind of reminds me of when I asked a question about diagonal guides in CS2; it’s a thing that people would like and that would make things easier but ti’s just not part of the program for one reason or another.
I’ll keep trying things until I either find something that works right for me or I’ll just move onto something else and leave it for CS4.
If I recall correctly I used a feathered selection of about 20 px and I think that is why doubling up the selection was needed.
Marvin, why is so important to use the Gradient tool for this? You want the Gradient tool to behave in a way that it just plain doesn’t.
Applying a feather to a selection is no more difficult than dragging out a Gradient, and gives the result you seem to be after. Using a feathered selection to create a mask is the standard way of doing a very common task; it’s quick, easy, and effecient. Why try to re-invent the wheel?
Marvyn,
"…this is something that I’d like to be able to do from time to time but not always using an elipse…"
The beauty of feathering as opposed to the gradient tool is that it applies to any selection shape, elliptical or otherwise.
The fading is to the background so, if you want that to be transparent, be sure to work on a layer and then, with the selection active albeit feathered, invert the selection and delete the background.
George
I’m not locked into just doing a gradient, it just seemed like the most direct route to what I’m trying to accomplish. I’m always trying to learn new stuff so I can get better so I’m gonna practice the feathering techniques that have been suggested. I really appreciate all the imput, thanks!
By the sound of it it looks as if you are skilled at the selection techniques. Feathering sorta does what one expects but also has limitations for selections with pointy bits or corners.
At that point, and depending upon what the non-focal bit/extraneous bits of the image should look line you may faind that a black to white or white to black radial gradient in a msking layer can be helpful.
The degree of feathering also makes for, in my opinion, build up effects by duplicating the selection layer.
There is another approach you may wish to try (I have not tried it yet) and that is:
1 – create a selection on a copy of the background layer
2 – save the selection
3 – set the feather to something huge such as 20, 40 or more pixels > CTRL+J to a layer of its own
4 – back the the background copy layer > open the saved selection > set feathering to something lower, say half of what it was earlier > CTRL+J into a layer of its own (you may need to re-order the layers into a sequence where the greatest feather is under the lesser and so on).
5 – layer blend modes and opacity/fill levels may aid a finer finished composition.
