A vignette, or soft fade, is a popular photo effect where the photo gradually fades into the background, usually in an oval shape. Using PhotoImpact's mask mode, you can preview the effect before applying it.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 2 minutes
Here's How:
- Open a photo.
- Choose the standard selection tool from the toolbar.
- In the property bar, set the shape to ellipse.
- Drag a selection around the area of the photo you want to keep.
- Click the mask mode toggle in the toolbar.
- Go to Effect > Blur & Sharpen > Gaussian Blur...
- If you get a series of thumbnails, click options for the advanced view...
- Enter a variance amount. A value between 15-50 pixels works well...
- Click the preview button to see the effect on the mask...
- If you're happy with the fade amount, click OK in the Gaussian Blur prompt. If not, click continue and make an adjustment.
- Click the mask mode toggle in the toolbar to leave mask mode.
- Go to Selection > Invert.
- Go to Edit > Fill...
- Using the tabs at the top, choose a color, gradient, texture, or image to fill the background. Use the preview button to see the effect before making it permanent.
