Vignette layer

[bruce1951]

I've hit a blank wall! I've tried a few things and nothing is working for me. Brain failure!!!! Or late night.

What I want is a transparent layer with a vignette. I'm using Nik Color Color Efex Pro 4 to create the vignette. At the moment I'm trying to send the transparent layer to Color Efex. It will accept my transparent layer but wont apply the vignette. I prefer to stick with Color Efex because, well just because it's flexible.
Why? I'm doing a series for a client. All with a white vignette. At the moment I'm applying a vignette to the final top layer. Works well. BUT. But it puts the vignette on, as a part of, the top layer. I would prefer to add a separate top layer with a vignette so that I can go back and edit my image without having to work around the vignette. ie, I may not like the crop so re cropping has to take into account the vignette.

So how can I have a transparent layer with just the vignette on it?

bruce

[bkh]

Sounds like a Color Efex problem.

If you really want to stick with Color Efex for something as simple as a vignette, you can apply the vignette to a black layer, then switch the layer mode to "Screen" for that layer.

Cheers

Burkhard.

[bruce1951]

Thanks bkh. If I try the same 'trick' with other programs I get the same result.
I create a transparent layer and send it to PSP. Put a vignette on it. All is ok. Transparent layer with a vignette.
But when I send it back to PL the vignette is not there.
So for some reason PL wont accept a vignette on a transparent layer from another program.

I want the flexibility of having a vignette on a separate layer. I can then edit either the image layer or the vignette layer.

regards

[bruce1951]

Got it!!

Create a new layer. Fill with white. Or colour of choice. Then use the Eraser to erase all but the edges. Brush size and style is important. Then change the opacity of the layer. Save the layer as a new image.

Then open any file. Open the vignette file and paste as new layer.
Using the eraser and opacity vignettes can be modifies in their own layer.

See all I needed was a good sleep!!!

bruce

[photoken]

Glad you found a solution that you like!

There are many ways to skin this cat -- I prefer to use a vector shape as a clipping layer on a vector layer containing the vignette colour:

mountain 002 vignette layers.jpg

This gives me great flexibility to adjust the vignette colour, vignette shape & position, etc.:

mountain 002 vignetted.jpg

[bruce1951]

One of the reasons I needed a separate layer was that different images need different vignettes. So I wanted to build a library of vignette layers that I could drop in and try without affecting the image layer/s. Many of my vignettes need a rough paint brush affect. So the standard route didn't suit.

bruce

[bkh]

Thanks bkh. If I try the same 'trick' with other programs I get the same result.
I create a transparent layer and send it to PSP. Put a vignette on it. All is ok. Transparent layer with a vignette.
But when I send it back to PL the vignette is not there.
So for some reason PL wont accept a vignette on a transparent layer from another program.

I tried Color Efex 4 – it simply doesn't apply its vignette to transparent areas. The image returned to PL is the same as the one I see in Color Efex 4, vignette applied to non-transparent parts only. (Btw., use TIFF as the transfer format, for some reason Color Efex doesn't seem to create PNGs with transparency). I don't have PSP, but make sure that the image is saved with the same name (otherwise PL will not be able to find the result). Do other changes with PSP get back to PL?

Cheers

Burkhard.

[photoken]

Hi Bruce,
Just a reminder -- you can create a "library" of layers by using Layer...Management...Save Layer and saving the selected layer (or layer group) as a PLD file.

For example, I added a Sponge filter to the previous layers and grouped them. Then, with the group layer as the active layer, I saved the group as a PLD file. After I opened a new image, using Layer...Management...Load Layer brought that vignette grouping into the new image:

mountain 001 vignetted layers.jpg

By using other adjustment layers instead of (or in addition to) that Sponge layer, there's quite a variety of effects that can be achieved:

mountain 001 vignetted.jpg

[bruce1951]

bkh if I use PSP as an external editor from PL 'almost' all edits return to PL ok. The one exception is transparencies. For some reason PSP and PL handle transparencies differently. eg, if I erase and area in PL and then send that layer/image to PSP and back again. The transparent area is corrupted. In PL the transparent area will have artifacts that show where the eraser in PL was used. Hard to describe but obvious when viewed.

I always use tiffs between editors/plugins.

Bit by bit I'm using PL features more and becoming less reliant on PSP. But there is always a tendency to revert to old favourites in PSP. The thing is I don't have the time to 'learn' PL features as I should. So time limits ensure I keep using some PSP features.

bruce

[Frank10823]

Hi,

most of time I only use one layer with a flow.