Many times an image looks nice and it’s… OK. Then, you add a vignette and it comes to life. The value of a vignette becomes apparent.

Vignettes have been used in photography almost since the beginning of the craft. Back then adding filters to surround the lens created the vignette. However, you’d be stuck with how it looked. We now have the ability to add one in post production and the value of a vignette is multiplied.

Original image

Here is an example of taking an OK capture and moving it up a couple levels. I always capture in RAW format to complete the image making process. As Ansel Adams said, “The negative is the score, the print is the performance.” Today the quote may read more like, “RAW files are the score and post processing is the performance.”

Adobe Camera RAW (ACR)

ACR is my go-to processing software. You can touch any pixels you care to with an adjustment. Ansel would have been in there with both feet as he was always pushing technology to create the best image possible that reflected his vision. Here’s the image after a stop in ACR.

Cropping

Tightening up on your subject can help tell the story a bit better. In this case, I went with a square crop as my main subject of the two sandhill cranes were getting lost. Almost done.

Noise in file from high ISO sandhill cranes
Original noise in the file from high ISO.

Topaz DeNoise AI

Because the photo was shot in such low light, a high ISO setting was used to make sure the avian wings were caught still. While there are different methods of cleaning up noise I find I go to Topaz DeNoise AI quite often. You can dial in your level of sharpness verses noise levels. Always experiment with the best way to have less noise in your image. Other possibilities are Photoshop’s Noise Reduction, NIK Define and Luminar. Sometimes it’s a combination of multiple software.

topaz denoise ai sandhill cranes
Invoking Topaz DeNoise AI smoothed out the noise.

Vignette

OK, the final step, adding the vignette. It keeps your eye from leaving the photo almost as a frame. Careful about adding too much of a good thing. In my opinion, a vignette should do its job without calling attention to itself. Too dark of a vignette creates a tunnel in your photo screaming “Look at me!” rather than gently controlling the viewers’ eye. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Final processing before adding the vignette
sandhill cranes in flight
Sandhill cranes final image after post processing and adding the final showing the value of a vignette.

I’ll make it easy to dial in your vignettes with a Photoshop Action in a future article.

Yours in Creative Photography, Bob