π Vignette Effect
Darkened-edge vignette with intensity control.
How to Add a Vignette
Upload your photo, set intensity and feathering, pick black or white, and download. The preview updates live.
Upload your photo.
Drag the intensity slider to set how dark the corners become.
Adjust feathering for a soft blend or a harder edge.
Download the finished photo.
The Art of the Vignette
The vignette works because of how human vision prioritizes the center of the frame. By gently darkening the periphery, you remove competing brightness that pulls the eye outward, letting the subject hold attention effortlessly. Portrait photographers have relied on this for over a century, from darkroom edge-burning to modern lens profiles. The effect also adds emotional weight: darkened edges feel intimate and cinematic, which is why they appear constantly in film stills and album art. But restraint separates professional use from amateur overuse. A good vignette is felt rather than seen; if viewers notice the dark corners before the subject, pull the intensity back. Feathering is what sells the illusion. A hard-edged vignette looks like a filter, while a long soft falloff mimics natural lens behavior. White vignettes deserve more attention than they get: on bright airy photos, a white edge fade creates a glow that feels like morning light. Match the vignette color to the photo mood rather than defaulting to black every time. Finally, apply the vignette after cropping, since changing the composition changes where the center falls.
Technical Notes
The effect uses a radial gradient centered on the image, with the transparent inner radius derived from your feather setting and the outer opacity from intensity. Rendering happens at up to 1400 px for speed and downloads as a PNG. All processing is local to your browser.
Common Vignette Mistakes
The biggest mistake is applying the same heavy vignette to every photo regardless of subject. Bright airy images fight against dark corners, so consider a white vignette or none at all for those. Another error is vignetting before cropping: always crop first, since the effect centers on the final composition. Finally, avoid stacking a vignette on photos that already have dark corners from the lens, which doubles the effect unintentionally.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a vignette?
A vignette gradually darkens (or lightens) the edges and corners of a photo while leaving the center bright. It is one of the oldest photographic effects, originally caused by lens limitations, now used deliberately to focus attention and add mood.
When should I use a vignette?
Portraits benefit most, since darkened edges push the viewer eye straight to the face. It also suits moody landscapes, food photography, and vintage-styled images where atmosphere matters. Skip it on architectural shots, product photos on white, and documents, where even illumination across the frame is the goal.
What is the difference between intensity and feather?
Intensity controls how dark the corners get at maximum. Feather controls how gradually the darkening blends from the center outward: low feather gives a hard-edged spotlight look, high feather gives a soft natural falloff. Start with medium intensity and high feather for subtle results.
Can I make a white vignette?
Yes, select white as the vignette color. A white edge fade creates an airy, dreamy glow that suits wedding photography, newborn portraits, and bright lifestyle content beautifully. It produces the opposite mood from black: openness and light rather than drama and intimacy.
Will a vignette look natural or overdone?
That depends entirely on restraint. Intensity around thirty to fifty percent with high feathering reads as professional and most viewers will feel it rather than notice it. Pushing toward one hundred percent creates a dramatic tunnel effect suited to artistic shots but heavy for everyday photos. When in doubt, dial it back ten percent.
Is my photo uploaded anywhere?
No, never. The vignette effect renders entirely in your browser with the Canvas API, so your photos stay private on your device at all times. There is no upload step, no processing queue on a remote server, no account required, and no third party ever sees, stores, or analyzes your personal images.