How to Make Vignettes in Lightroom

The vignette effect darkens or lightens the edges around the photograph.

The use of a vignette effect not only gives your digital photographs a softer and unique look, but it helps focus the attention of the viewer to the central subject of the photograph, in most cases. Adobe Lightroom features a “post-crop vignetting” tool that makes it simple to add a vignette effect to your photograph. Once the effect is applied, you can adjust and customize the vignette to create a unique and desirable look for your photograph.

Instructions

1. Locate the “Post-Crop Vignetting” options in the “Effects” panel on the right side of the screen.

2. Select “Highlight Priority,” “Color Priority” or “Paint Overlay” from the “Style” menu. Each pre-set style will create a different vignette effect.

3. Fine-tune the appearance of the vignette by adjusting the sliders located below the “Style” menu. Move the slider to the left or right with the cursor to adjust the “Amount,” “Midpoint,” “Roundness,” “Feather” and “Highlights” attributes. Save the photo when finished.

References

• Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3: Vignette and Grain Effects