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MAJOR STEP 1, 2, 3, image for each

The perfect vignette is a subtle, gentle darkening of your photo that subconsciously guides your viewer to the subject of your photo. I strive for vignettes that are barely perceivable. Just enough to guide the eye, but not so obvious to the viewer that it’s there.

You can craft the perfect vignette in Luminar AI in 5 simple steps.

Step 1 - Make The Vignette Visible

Open the Vignette Tool and drag the Amount and Feather sliders as far to the left as they can go. The edge of the vignette becomes clearly visible. Being able to see where the vignette makes it so much easier to steer your viewer to the most important subject in your scene.

Step 2 - Highlight Your Subject

Click the Choose Subject button in the Vignette Tool. Then, click on the most important subject in your photo, the item you want your viewer to look at. In the photo shown here, the primary subject is the crooked tree in the foreground. You can click as many times as you need to refine the position to exactly where you want it.

Step 3 - Refine The Vignette Shape And Size

Adjust the Size and Roundness sliders in the Vignette Tool to suit the photo. If necessary, revisit the Choose Subject button and refine the position of the vignette. A vignette can be reasonably tight on an important subject. Remember, though, the vignette will fade both inward and outward from the hard edge.

Step 4 - Fade The Vignette

Now it’s time to get rid of that darkness. Raise the Feather slider far to the right for a smooth, gentle fade. High double-digits in the space I like to be in with my vignette feathers, sometimes all the way to 100. Then increase the Amount slider and dial in the right amount of darkness for your scene.

For my vignettes, I am for an imperceptible amount of shading. Just as the smooth feather becomes invisible, I’ve usually got my perfect vignette. Keep an eye on the corners! If they look too dark or artificial, nudge the Size slider up a little.

Step 5 - A Finishing Kiss Of Light

As a finishing touch, nudge the Inner Light slider up a little. This slider adds brightness to the center of the vignette, adding a further accent to your subject. For my landscape work, single digits is usually enough. Again, my goal is a subtle visual cue to my viewer that may not be consciously noticed.

There you go! 5 easy steps and you’ll have a perfectly crafted vignette for all of your photos. Visualize the vignette, position & shape, then smooth and fade. As you use this technique more often, it will become second nature.