Vignette

Darken (or lighten) the edges of your photo to draw the eye towards the centre. Subtle vignettes are nearly invisible but make portraits feel more cinematic; heavy vignettes create dramatic, vintage looks. Adjustable shape (oval, circular, rectangular), intensity, and feather for soft transitions.

Why vignettes work

The eye is naturally drawn to the brightest part of an image. A subtle darkening of the edges focuses attention on the centre — which is usually where your subject is. Cinematographers have used this for a century. Old portrait photographers used physical vignettes (a cut-out mask in front of the lens). Modern phones and cameras avoid them; we add them back.

Variants

• Subtle (default): almost invisible darkening. Pro feel without obvious processing.
• Dramatic: heavy darkening — vintage portrait or moody album-cover look.
• White vignette: brightens edges instead of darkening — feels softer, dreamier.
• Hard edge: minimal feather, looks like a physical lens vignette.

Combine with other effects

1. For vintage looks: stack with Sepia or Vintage Filter + film grain.
2. For dramatic portraits: stack with Black and White high-contrast preset.
3. For moody product shots: stack with low-key lighting adjustments.

Tips

Most photos benefit from a tiny vignette — barely noticeable but adds polish. Heavy vignettes are a stylistic choice, not a default — easy to overdo. Always preview at full size; vignettes look stronger when the image is bigger.