By nature of the hobby, digital scrapbookers spend a lot of time on their computer. It’s kind of hard to scrap without it, huh? However, even if we feel comfortable on our computers and can scrap a page with relative ease, there are always things we don’t know and always things we can learn to make things go faster, to do things better, to make our pages and our photos look their very best.
COMPUTER TIPS AND TRICKS will be a regular feature here at THE DAILY DIGI. Whether you want to learn how to get the most out of Photoshop or are trying to decide between a Mac and a new PC, TDD will be there to give you tip, tricks, tutorials, and a whole lot of fun. If you are new to digital scrapbooking, be sure to check out the section we have created especially for you — in it you can find software recommendations, information on making your first layout, and where you can print these layouts once you are done.
Novice or seasoned veteran…COMPUTER TIPS AND TRICKS will be sure to bring you the information you want and need.
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Today I want to show you one of the best (and easiest!) things you can do to take your photos from good to great. You’ve probably seen it a million times without realizing what made a specific photo really stand out.
The vignette. The word has lots of meanings but in the context we are talking about (photography) it means, “any process by which there is loss in clarity towards the corners and sides of an image.” Loss of clarity may not sound like a good thing, but I promise you, it is! You see, when you have a loss of clarity towards the corners and sides of an image your eye automatically is drawn toward the center of the photo. Most often, the center is what you want to highlight. By reducing the clarity of the outer parts of the photo, the subject of the photo can truly stand out.
Take a look at this photo:
It’s a good photo, right? Color is good. Exposure is good. Composition is good. However, we can make it even better with a simple vignette.
The difference is subtle but delivers lots of impact!
Here are a few more examples of good photos becoming great photos.
Now lets look at an easy way to do this yourself in Photoshop/Photoshop Elements:
First, select your photo. I chose a photo of some friends of mine that I took a few weeks ago. I love the photo (and the people in it!) so I wanted to make it something they would truly love.
First, you need to select your Marquee tool (keyboard shortcut M). You can use either the elliptical (oval) marquee or the rectangular marquee tool. For this photo, I chose to use the elliptical tool. I made a selection around the area I wanted to stay clear. Since my subjects weren’t quite center, I nudged the selection up a bit using my arrow keys.
Now I need to feather the selection so that there is a gradual shift of color rather than a harsh line. I went to the top of the screen and chose Select>feather> and then set my pixel amount. The amount of feathering can really depend on the look you are going for and the resolution of the image. As good rule of thumb is 100 pixels for a high-resolution photo and 50 pixels for a low-resolution photo.
Now I have the subject of the photo selected, but that is not the part of the photo I want to change. I want to change the outer edge of the photo rather than the center so I need to inverse my selection.
Now the outer edges of the photo are selected.
Now I will copy and paste this selection onto a new layer (PC: Ctrl+C then Ctrl+V, MAC: COMMAND+C then COMMAND+V). Now my selected area is on its own layer.
I am now going to change the blending mode of this layer to multiply, which will darken the pixels.
This is what it looks like now
In my opinion, the vignette is a little too dark and too noticeable. So, I will lower the opacity of the vignette layer until it looks right. I set the opacity to 70% to get this:
Now, I just need to merge the layers and I am done.
See the difference? Subtle but oh-so-powerful.
BEFORE:
and AFTER:
Now, don’t fret that this will take you forever. Once you get the hang of it, it goes really fast. I timed myself and it took me 27 seconds (using keyboard shortcuts for most menu choices).
So there you have it…one little trick to take your photos from good to great…all using our favorite little sidekick…our computer!
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Amazing, amazing tip! I absolutely cannot believe what a big impact/difference it made on my photos! I’m very impressed and can’t thank you enough for sharing this!
Also, I’m most appreciative of the action that was provided. When I run across tutorials, I often find myself thinking “someday I’ll get around to trying that.” But with the action, there was no reason not to go ahead and give it a quick try instead of waiting for “someday”.
This tutorial is amazing! I tried it on one of my favorite photos and was totally impressed. Thank you so much for sharing this.
This is a great tip! I have used it on several photos already and love it!
I am so glad you started this blog. There is so much out there in the digi scrap world to digest, that it is nice to be able to find it in bite size pieces here!
Very VERY cool! This is a really neat little trick. I know that there are actions out there that do this in a click, but it’s nice to know how to actually do it… I think that is how we get to know our programs : )
Thanks for this tutorial. I have seen a number of different ways to create a vignette (and I have a few actions that do it) and I like this method. It is simple and adjustable.
Thanks for the tip, I’m going to try it this way with my next batch of pictures
Really happy to discover this blog!I’ve only been digi scrapping for a year and have found the various forums overwhelming. This is perfect. One spot with a specific purpose. Thanks.
I’m hooked already. If this is what your new site will be like every day, it is exactly what I need.
Thank you, Janet, for doing this for us all!
Love this blog! I am excited to visit every day! Great tips and great inspiration!
This is really nice to know. I usually do my vignettes in iphoto… but even the most subtle one is still pretty obvious, so it is nice to know how to do one myself in photoshop. Thank you! I could NOT be more excited about your blog!
Wow! Thank you for this tip – I love this.
Great tip and love this new digi place to visit.
Wow, what a fun blog! This will definitely be a daily trip for me! I have already learnt so much in the first three days! (I only found it today though!)
do you have a blinkie, that I(we) can add to our blogs to tell everyone about you?!
Thanks for the time you must be putting into this, I for one really appreciate it! And look forward to this 365 project, as I will be visiting daily!
Hugs
Kerri
Awesome – thanks for the tip!
Love the new blog. Sad about all your templates retiring – I just found them! Guess I need to grab the sets I was eying
Looking forward to your posts.
Thanks for the vignette tip, Janet! I love the new blog! TDD is now my first stop in the morning — it goes great with coffee!
Great photo tip. Can’t wait to try it out. Thanks so much and I look forward to many more editing tips.
I’m so excited about your new blog. It’s fabo!
thanks!!! Love the new blog!!!
This is the kind of thing I have been looking for.
Basic steps to make my scrap time more productive. And to use the tools I have more fully. Thanks!!
Awesome tip! I’ve been using an action to do my vignettes, but I really like the way your method looks. So I tried it! Here’s a before: [IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y286/NanasMama/ArianaLake2web.jpg[/IMG] and an after: [IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y286/NanasMama/ArianaLake2vigweb.jpg[/IMG]. Boy that was easy! Thanks again for the share
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Awesome trick – thanks! I’ve only ever been able to create vignettes with actions, but I think it’s a valuable technique to know. The first photo I tried it on wasn’t suitable for a vignette, but the second photo was drastically improved. Thanks for sharing!
Can you teach people how to make this into an action? I actually bought an action (well, it came along with an action pack I bought) and I love just clicking a button! And mine creates the vignette on a separate layer so I can still play with it after the action runs. But I’m sure not everyone wants to (or can) buy this–especially when it’s so simple to create! I guess I don’t know how to make an action, though. I guess maybe I should be asking if you can just show people how to make an action, then–hee hee! Have a great weekend!!
Great tip on the vignetting, Janet. You’re right, it really does make a significant difference!
Love the design of your blog!
Hi Janet,
Love your new blog! Am adding it to my reader to check it out every day!