Use a Vignette for a Soft Look
by Cher Threinen-Pendarvis

This intimate candid portrait of friends is ideal for a vignette. My portrait has an out-of-focus element in the foreground, and adding a vignette will help minimize this element.

The vignette technique incorporates the selection tools in Corel® Painter™ IX.5. Although you can also create a vignette by using the Edge Effects on the Underpainting palette, the technique described here offers more flexibility.

Step 1. Choose a photo. Open a photo with a simple composition, such as the portrait shown here. For the purpose of this tip, I decreased the size of my photo so that it was 700 pixels wide. If your image is much larger, you will need to increase the feather proportionately in step 4.

Step 2. Make the selection. Begin by choosing the Oval Selection tool in the toolbox. Click in the image, and then drag to make the selection. Don't worry about the exact shape or size, because you can edit the selection in the next step.

Step 3. Resize the selection. To scale and change proportions of the selection, choose the Selection Adjuster tool in the toolbox, and then pull on one of the corner handles. You can also use the Selection Adjuster tool to move the selection border.

Step 4. Add the soft edge. Now, apply a feather of 20 pixels by choosing Select menu > Feather to soften the edge. Next, reverse the selection by choosing Select menu > Invert. Finally, choose Edit menu > Clear to delete the background, leaving the vignetted edge against white.

Good work! You've completed this month's Corel Painter Wow! tip.

Images and content: © 2006 by Cher Threinen-Pendarvis

An award-winning artist and author, Cher Threinen-Pendarvis has always worked with traditional art tools. She has been widely recognized for her mastery of Corel® Painter™, Adobe® Photoshop®, and the Wacom® tablet and has used these tools since they were first released. Exercising her passion for the artist tools in Corel Painter, Cher has worked as a consultant and demo-artist for Corel Painter developers. Her artwork has been exhibited worldwide, and her articles and art have been published in many books and periodicals. Cher has taught Corel Painter and Photoshop workshops around the world, and she is principal of the consulting firm Cher Threinen Design.

Cher is the author of The Photoshop and Painter Artist Tablet Book: Creative Techniques in Digital Painting and all seven editions of The Painter Wow! Book. The Painter IX Wow! Book is the latest edition of this highly praised volume of inspiration. To learn more about Cher, visit her Web site at www.pendarvis-studios.com.