The fifty images not in vignette form that are included in this collection contain paths to allow you to make your own vignettes. The instructions are as follows:
1. After opening the image, open the Show Paths dialogue box in the Windows menu.
2. Select the path for the outline of the subject to be vignetted by clicking once on the box labeled Path 1. For more information on how clipping paths work, consult your Photoshop users manual.
3. Click and hold down the mouse over the arrow in the right hand corner of the Paths dialogue box to access the paths options menu.
4. Select the Make Selection option and enter a feather radius of one pixel with the anti-alias box checked.
5. A selection (marching ants) should now outline the person or object that is to be vignetted. It is important that you go back into the paths dialogue box and turn off the path by clicking just below the path. This will leave the selection on the screen but get rid of the solid path outline surrounding the person/object to be vignetted.
6. With the outline of the person/object selected, use the copy command located in the Photoshop Edit menu to copy the area selected.
7. Use the Paste command located in the Edit menu to paste the selection back into the picture window. This create another layer on top of the existing background layer. To confirm that this layer has been created, click on the Show Layers option under the Windows menu, you should see both the background and the layer 1. While you are in the Show Layers box make sure the Background layer is selected, if not, select it by clicking on it.
8. To create the area that is to be vignetted by clicking on the Show Paths option in the Windows menu. Create a new path by clicking on the arrow in the right-hand corner of the dialogue box and select New Path... and click OK. Path 2 should show up under Path 1 in the dialogue box. Click on Path 2 and select the Pen Tool in the Tools palette. Now, draw a new path around the part of the image╒s background you want to use as a feathered vignette. When finished, click on Path 2 and repeat steps 3 and 4 to make a selection of that path.
9. Feather the selection out to 150 pixels (you may want to experiment with different feathering options). The feather option is located in the Select menu.
10. Go back into the select menu and choose the Select Inverse option.
11. Select the Clear command located in the Edit menu (again, make sure that you are working in the background layer before you do this). This should clear the background surrounding the vignette. You may need to try this several times until you have a selection that is satisfactory.
12. If the vignette is to your liking, select the Lasso tool from the Photoshop Tools palette and circle the entire vignette area of the background to make it a selection. Be careful to draw outside the least visible area of the feathered edge of the vignette.
13. Feather the selection out to 75 pixels. (75 is based upon a previous selection of150, or about half the feather amount of the vignette. For example if you decide to use 100 for your vignette the the lasso should be 50, or selections of 200 and 100, etc.).
14. It is important to add noise into this selection in order to keep the background from banding when it is converted to CMYK for printing. Do not convert to CMYK until after you╒ve created the feathered vignette. The Add Noise filter is a sub menu of the Noise filter in the Filters menu. It should be set to an amount between 5 and 7 for best results with the distribution set to gaussian.
15. Deselect the area around the vignette and magnify the window to 200%. Inspect the area around the vignette to ensure a smooth transition between the white space and beginning of the vignette. If there is any area that does not have a smooth transition, use the Eraser tool with size of approximately 800 and a hardness of approximately 10. Use the very edge of the eraser to soften the transition.
16. Select Flatten Image in the Layers menu.
17. For people or objects with a dark edge (i.e. black hair), a softer edge might be needed to help it blend with the white background. To soften this edge, use the cloning tool with small brush set to an opacity of 15 to bring a bit of the white to the darker edge.
18. You can now convert the vignetted image to CMYK in the Mode menu. If you choose to convert the image for print, be sure to check for banding in the transition area of the vignette. If banding occurs upon conversion, you will have to repeat Steps 2-7 to recreate the top layer and isolate it from the background so that it is not affected by the noise filter, as well as step 13 with a higher level of noise.
