The short answer
Why use Vignette?
Phone photos often look flat because the edges are as bright as the subject. A vignette pulls attention inward, the way many lenses do on their own, and here it takes one slider instead of painting a feathered mask.
How dark the edges get is set by Amount, 0 to 100, with 50 as the starting point. A round gradient starts clear at 20% of the shorter side from the center and reaches its darkest at 65% of the longer side. At that outer ring the black reaches 42% opacity at the default and 83% at 100. At 0 nothing is added.
The fade is a circle, not an oval, so on a very wide panorama the left and right ends darken far more than the top and bottom. On a normal 4:3 or 3:2 photo the corners get the darkest and the middle of each edge gets roughly half of that. Crop extreme panoramas to a normal ratio first for an even look.
Blur Frame keeps the center sharp and softens the edges instead of darkening them. Dreamy Effect brightens the photo and adds a pink wash at the edges. Lens Blur lets you move the sharp area anywhere. Vignette pairs well with Sepia Tone for an old print.
Where Vignette fits
Food photos
Darken the edges of a plate shot so the dish stands out on a menu or blog.
Event slideshows
Add the same soft dark edge to every photo in a memorial or wedding slideshow.
Book jackets
Draw the eye to the center of a moody cover photo before adding the title.
Start to finish
How to use Vignette
- 01Tap Choose image and pick a photo with the subject near the middle.
- 02Raise Amount above 50 for darker corners, or lower it for a faint fade; 0 adds nothing.
- 03Tap Apply changes, check that the corners are not too heavy, then tap Download result.
What to expect from Vignette
| Check | What it means here |
|---|---|
| Supported input | JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP, SVG and browser-supported AVIF images |
| Main controls | Amount slider, plus a color picker for effects that need one |
| Output | A PNG image with the effect applied |
| Working limit | 50 MB and 50 megapixels per image |
Vignette tips
- Crop off-center subjects first, because the fade is always centered.
- Amount 20 to 35 is subtle enough for product shots on white.
- On a panorama, crop to 3:2 first so the sides do not go nearly black.
- Combine with Film Grain afterwards for a lomography-style print.
Vignette FAQ
Something missing? Ask us.
Can I move the center of the vignette?
Can I make the edges white or blurred instead of dark?
Does Vignette upload my file?
Is Vignette free to use?
Why did Vignette fail or look wrong?
Related tools
More in Filters & Effects.