Add a Vignette to an Image
A vignette darkens the corners and edges of a photograph so the eye settles on the middle. Used lightly it's invisible and effective; used heavily it's a deliberate period look. Both are a slider away here, and nothing is uploaded.
Drop images here
Multiple files allowed
Reading the two sliders
Strength is how dark the outermost edge gets — 100% means the corners reach the vignette colour completely. Clear area is how much of the frame stays untouched before the falloff starts: at 70% the middle 70% is exactly the original image and the shading ramps up from there. Raising the clear area makes the effect tighter to the edges; lowering it pulls the darkening in toward the subject.
The falloff is smooth rather than linear, which is what stops a vignette looking like a dark ring. If you can see where the effect begins, lower the strength or raise the clear area.
Restraint, and the two exceptions
A vignette works best when nobody notices it. Strength around 25–40% with a clear area of 65–75% is the range that reads as natural lens falloff and simply makes a photo look better composed. Above about 70% it becomes a visible effect, and on anything with a plain background it produces obvious grey corners.
Two deliberate exceptions. Set the colour to white for a faded, high-key look that suits soft portraits and product shots on white. And circle shape with high strength gives the hard porthole framing of a vintage lens or a microscope — an effect rather than a correction.
Related: Border / frame for a hard edge, Blur or Brightness for whole-image adjustments, and Sepia to complete an aged look.
FAQ
Does it work on transparent PNGs?
The colour shading is applied to visible pixels and the alpha channel is left alone, so transparent areas stay transparent rather than filling with grey.
Can I add a light vignette instead of a dark one?
Yes — set the colour to white, or any light tone. The maths is the same; it blends toward whatever colour you choose.
Which shape should I use?
Ellipse for almost everything, because it follows the frame's proportions and stays even in the corners. Circle only when you want a deliberate round port on a non-square image.
Why does the corner look banded?
Very strong vignettes on a smooth background can band on 8-bit output. Reduce the strength, or add a touch of noise to break it up.