The power of vignettes in photography: Directing the light

A good composition involves guiding the viewer’s attention through the image, and one effective way to achieve this is by manipulating the lighting.

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The Power of Vignettes

Vignettes are a powerful tool for directing the viewer’s attention, and the best part is that they are easy to create!

Understanding Vignettes

A vignette is simply a decrease in brightness or saturation around the edges of an image compared to the center. This effect can occur naturally when using certain lenses, especially those with a wide aperture. Alternatively, you can add a vignette during post-processing.

Creating Vignettes

Creating vignettes is a straightforward process that can be accomplished using various software programs. In this example, I will demonstrate how to create vignettes using Adobe Lightroom Classic. However, you can achieve similar results with other software of your choice. Whether you’re working with a night photo or any other type of image, applying vignettes is versatile.

Enhancing the Image

In the original photo above, there is already a slight vignetting effect. However, the primary reason the subject appears brighter is due to intentional illumination of the car grille during the exposure, resulting in a slightly underexposed background.

To further enhance the composition, the distant lights are positioned towards the center, adding interest to that area. The brightest part of the sky is aligned directly over the highest point of the car grille, maximizing the visual impact.

Creating Vignettes in Lightroom Classic

To create a vignette in Lightroom Classic, you can utilize the Effects panel, specifically the controls for Post-Crop Vignetting. Adjust the settings according to your preferences and experiment until you achieve the desired result.

Subtle and Effective Vignettes

For most applications, a subtle amount of vignetting is sufficient. It is often best to avoid making the vignette too obvious, as subtlety is key. In this case, a small amount of vignetting was applied.

To achieve a smooth transition from light to dark, increasing the feathering option is recommended. Feathering controls how gradually the vignette darkens towards the edges.

Exploring Extreme Vignetting

Let’s take a moment to explore the impact of heavy-handed vignetting and hard feathering. In this extreme example, the Amount slider has been significantly moved to the left, as well as the Feathering slider. This creates a more pronounced and abrupt transition from light to dark. Although this approach may work for certain photos, it is generally not ideal for most situations.

Vignettes on Your Phone

It’s worth noting that you may already have the capability to create vignettes on your phone without using software like Lightroom, Photoshop, Luminar, or Affinity. Many smartphones offer built-in photo editing features, including vignette controls. For example, the Photos app on iPhones allows you to easily create vignettes similar to the techniques shown here.

Directing Attention with Vignettes

Directing the viewer’s attention towards the subject is a subconscious tendency in photography. Vignettes serve as another valuable tool in a photographer’s arsenal to achieve this goal. Additionally, vignettes have the subtle effect of framing or cradling the image, adding visual interest.

Vignettes for Various Subjects

Vignettes can benefit a wide range of photography subjects, such as portraits, sports, birds, weddings, and fine art. The choice of applying vignettes depends on the desired effect and the creative vision of the photographer.

Observing Vignettes in Other Photos

Next time you look at photos, pay attention to whether the photographer has utilized vignettes to guide your focus towards the subject. By studying and appreciating the use of vignettes in various compositions, you can further develop your own understanding and application of this technique.