3 Ways on How to Create a Dark Vignette in Photoshop | Photoshop Quick Tip

Welcome back! Today I want to show Photoshop beginners three techniques to darken the edges of an image, or how to create a vignette. This is great whenever you wish to place attention on the center of the image rather than having everything equally lit. You will see this being done in many images, especially landscape images – have a look next time you look at some, hehe. So, let’s get started.

Option One – Create a Vignette using the Camera Raw Filter (0:15 min)

The camera raw filter is a very easy option, especially for beginners. All you have to make sure is that you have all the image information on a separate layer, which you can achieve by pressing CMD/Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E. This creates a so-called stamp visible, which is just a layer with all the information on it. Select this layer and move up to Filter-Camera Raw Filter. There, move to the ‘Fx’ button on the right, which is where you will find the Vignette Slider. Moving this slider to the left will darken the edges, moving it to the right will lighten the edges.

In here, you have some other options with regards to the vignette, such as the size of your midpoint or the amount of feathering. Play around with this until you are happy and hit Ok.

Option Two – Create a Vignette using Adjustment Layers (1:20 min)

The next option is the one that offers the most space for customization when learning how to create a dark vignette in Photoshop but might seem a little difficult at first. In principle, you darken the whole image using an adjustment layer (such as the curve adjustment, a levels adjustment, an exposure adjustment or others) and then use a layer mask to hide the effect from the center.

For example, if you wanted to use a curve adjustment layer, create one and drag the curve down, until you think the edges are nice and dark. Once done, use a black brush to remove the effect from the center of the image. You can really and fully decide which areas to darken and how much, so this is the best once you get the hang of it.

Option Three – Create a Vignette using the Lens Correction Window (2:34 min)

This is something not many people know, but you might as well consider it when working with Photoshop as there are all sort of useful things you can do within the following dialog, apart from just learning how to create a dark vignette in Photoshop. Create a stamp visible as before (CMD/Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E) and move up to Filter-Lens Correction. There, along with all the other sliders, you will find the one for the vignette. It is a simple slider, but I like the soft vignette you can create there. Once you are happy, hit Ok.

And there we go, these are three simple techniques for darkening down the edges of an image in Photoshop. Remember, you can always reduce the opacity of the layer that has the vignette on it, giving you further control over the effect. Further, even if you do not use the adjustment layer method, you can still use layer masks to reduce the visibility of the vignette. Try it out, it can make all the difference for an image.

Remember, if you like the video, make sure to subscribe for more weekly Photoshop and Photography action!

If you like my images, make sure to check out my portfolio!

Don’t forget to get out there and take some pictures yourself. Show me your images!! I hope you enjoy my Photoshop tutorials and this ‘How to Create a Dark Vignette in Photoshop’ in particular and I see you next time.