Add a vignette to a photo
Darken or lighten the edges of a photo with a soft falloff to pull attention to the subject
Your files stay with you. Conversion happens inside the browser; no file is ever uploaded to a server.
Did this tool do the job?
Thanks, your feedback came through.
How it works
Tap or click the box to choose one or more photos, set the options and press "Add vignette". The tool measures how far every pixel is from the centre towards the corners. Pixels inside the "Untouched area in the middle" stay exactly as they are; outside it the darkening grows along a smooth curve and reaches the "strength" value in the corners. Example: at 50% strength and a 60% area, the middle is unchanged and the corners end up half as bright; 100% strength makes the corners fully black. The oval follows the photo's shape, so on a wide landscape the vignette is a wide ellipse. With "Fade to white" the edges lighten towards white instead of darkening — the soft frame seen in classic portrait and wedding photos. Everything runs in your browser.
This tool is also known as photo vignette, add vignette to photo, vignette effect online, darken edges of photo, white vignette, vignette filter, vignette photo online.
What is Vignette (vignetting)?
A vignette is when the edges and corners of a photo are darker (or lighter) than the centre. Originally it is a lens flaw: light passing the rim of the lens is partly lost, so corners darken at wide apertures. Photographers also add it on purpose, because the eye goes to the brightest area first; darker edges pull the gaze towards the subject and give the photo a warm, slightly vintage mood.
What is Smooth falloff (smoothstep)?
A smooth falloff means a value moves from zero to one along a curve that eases in and eases out, instead of jumping. This tool calculates the amount of darkening that way: at the edge of the untouched area it starts very slowly, speeds up in between and slows down again near the corners. So no hard ring or line appears in the photo and the transition goes unnoticed.
Dark vignette vs. white vignette: what is the difference?
A dark vignette dims the edges towards black; it feels dramatic, cinematic and a little vintage, as if the subject steps out of the shadows. A white vignette fades the edges towards white; it feels light, airy and romantic and is popular for baby and wedding photos and bright portraits. On a dark night shot a white vignette looks artificial; on a portrait against a white wall a dark vignette can look dirty.
Settings for a subtle vignette
A good vignette is one nobody notices: viewers do not see the edges getting darker, they just find their eyes on the subject. For portraits and product photos, 30–50% strength with a 55–70% untouched area is usually enough. Above 80% strength you get an old-camera or thriller look.
If the subject is not in the centre (for example a person near the edge), enlarge the untouched area or part of the subject darkens too. This tool always centres the vignette on the photo; to move it, crop the photo first so the subject sits in the middle.
Not for fixing lens vignetting
This tool adds a vignette; it does not remove one. If the corners of a wide-angle or phone photo are already dark, a vignette added here makes them darker still. Removing corner shading needs a correction that works the other way, the "lens correction" setting in photo editors.
A white vignette does not fully hide dark corners either; it lifts them towards white but does not match them to the light in the middle. If the effect is too obvious, lower the strength or enlarge the untouched area.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add a vignette to a photo?
Choose the photo on this page, set the strength and the untouched area in the middle, then press "Add vignette". The edges darken softly; save the result with "Download".
What does a vignette do?
The eye looks at the brightest part of a photo first. Darker edges draw attention to the subject in the middle, calm down a busy background and give the photo a cinematic feel.
Is the vignette round on a non-square photo?
No, the oval follows the photo's shape. A landscape photo gets a wide ellipse and a portrait a tall one, so all four edges darken evenly.
Can I apply the same vignette to several photos?
Yes. Choose several files and they all get the same strength and area. The oval is calculated from each photo's own shape, so it looks similar on photos of different sizes.