How to add a vignette to a photo

A vignette is one of the oldest tricks in photography: the corners and edges of a photo are darkened while the center stays bright, so the viewer's eye is drawn to the subject in the middle. It is a soft, classic effect — the kind you see in old film photos, portraits, and wedding albums. The steps below add one in your browser on ImageTool.us, with no upload and no signup.

1. Step 1: pick a photo and keep the original

Start with the photo you want to vignette — any common format works (JPG, PNG, or WebP). Keep a clean copy of the original before you begin: the darkened edges are baked into the downloaded copy, so the only way to get the clean photo back is to start over from the original. The original on your device is never changed; the tool only makes a new copy with the vignette for you to download.

2. Step 2: open the tool and upload your photo

Open the Add Vignette tool and upload your photo — click to choose it, or drag and drop it onto the page. The original appears in the preview on the left. Nothing is uploaded: the file stays on your device and the work happens in your browser.

3. Step 3: set the strength and click Add Vignette

Set the strength with the slider, from 10% to 100% (the default is 60%). Strength is the only setting: a low value gives a gentle darkening at the very corners, and a high value makes the edges clearly dark while the center stays bright. There is no size or shape setting — the darkening always fades smoothly from the center out to the edges. Then click Add Vignette. The result appears next to your original so you can compare them before saving. If the effect is too strong or too weak, move the slider and click again — the tool always starts from your original, so you can try as many strengths as you like without damaging anything.

4. Step 4: check the preview and save the result

Look at the corners before you download: the subject should still be clear, and the darkening should feel like a soft frame, not a black hole at the edges. When you are happy with it, tap Download below the result to save the new copy — it is called vignette.png. The result is always saved as a PNG, which keeps the edges smooth, and transparent areas in your image stay transparent.

What a vignette is

A vignette darkens the outer parts of a photo and leaves the middle alone. The darkening is strongest in the corners and fades gradually toward the center, so there is no hard line — just a gentle fall-off that pulls the viewer's eye inward. Old film cameras made this effect by accident, because their lenses could not light the corners of the film evenly; today photographers add it on purpose, because it gives a photo focus. It works on almost any photo, but it works best when the subject sits in the middle and the edges are background — a sky, a wall, a field — rather than part of the story.

Light or strong: how to choose the strength

Start with the default 60% and look at the preview. A light vignette, around 10–30%, suits portraits and product shots: the edges darken just enough to frame the subject without anyone noticing the effect. A medium vignette, around 40–70%, suits everyday photos and social media posts — the effect is visible and gives the photo a finished, classic feel. A strong vignette, around 80–100%, suits moody, vintage, and dramatic photos, where dark corners are part of the mood. Two rules help: first, if the photo has important detail near the edges — a second person, a sign, a landscape feature — keep the strength low so that detail is not lost; second, a strong vignette on a bright photo can look like the photo was taken through a tunnel, so check the preview on the actual photo instead of guessing.

Vignette, sepia, and film grain — a stronger old-photo look

A vignette on its own is subtle. Combined with other classic effects, it can make a photo feel much older. The Sepia Image tool gives the photo a warm brown tone like an antique print, and the Add Film Grain tool adds the soft noise of old film. Try the order: vignette first, then sepia, then grain — or sepia first and a light vignette last, to frame the warm tones. A vignette also pairs well with the Photo to Pencil Sketch tool, which turns a photo into a sketch; a soft vignette around a sketch looks like a drawing on old paper. The sepia guide and the film grain guide explain both effects in detail.

Combine a vignette with other edits

A vignette pairs well with the other tools on ImageTool.us. If the photo needs a quick fix first, the Image Editor handles cropping and rotating before you add the vignette — a tighter crop often puts the subject in the center, where a vignette helps it most. If the photo needs to be a specific size for a post, resize it with the Image Resizer first, then add the vignette at a strength that fits the final dimensions. And if the file is too large to share afterward, run the result through the Image Compressor — just remember that converting the PNG to JPG also removes transparency, so compress it only after you are happy with the vignette. For a change of color instead of edges, the Image Converter changes the file format without touching the effect.

Honest limits

• A vignette only darkens the edges. It does not add detail, sharpen the photo, or fix a bad photo — a blurry or badly lit photo stays blurry or badly lit, just with darker corners.
• A very strong vignette hides detail in the corners completely. If the corners hold something important — a person, a sign, a pet — a strong setting will make it hard to see. Keep the strength low on photos like that, or crop the photo first.
• There is one setting: strength. There is no size, shape, or color choice — the darkening always fades smoothly from the center outward, and it is always black, never colored.
• The effect cannot be undone from the downloaded file. The darkened edges are baked into the copy, so check the preview before downloading and keep your original if you may want a different strength later.
• A vignette is a finishing effect, not a repair. It will not hide a distracting background completely — it only darkens it. If the background itself is the problem, crop it out first or use a different edit.

Common mistakes

• Using maximum strength on every photo — a 100% vignette can make the corners nearly black and the photo look like it was taken through a tube. Start at the default and go up only if the photo needs the drama.
• Adding a vignette to a photo with important detail at the edges — a second person or a landscape feature at the corner gets lost. Use a light strength or crop first.
• Downloading without comparing with the original — the preview sits next to the original for a reason. Check that the subject still stands out before you save.
• Forgetting to keep the original — if you want a lighter or stronger vignette later, you need the clean photo. Keep it before you add the effect.
• Expecting the vignette to fix a photo — it frames a good photo; it does not rescue a bad one. Fix exposure and focus first, then add the vignette.

Quick checklist

• Original clean copy kept before adding the vignette.
• Strength picked: light (10–30%) for portraits and product shots, medium (40–70%) for everyday photos, strong (80–100%) for moody or vintage looks.
• Preview checked: subject still clear, corners dark but not black, no important detail lost at the edges.
• Downloaded as vignette.png (PNG, so the edges stay smooth).
• File too large to share? Compress the result afterward, or convert it to JPG.

Your images never leave your device on ImageTool.us: every tool runs entirely in your browser. No upload, no signup, no watermark.