Mike DelGaudio

There is only one way I can think of to fake a vignette in Picasa. A vignette is a darkening of the edges or corners of am image. This is typically not desirable, as it indicates that the lens let less light through to the edges than the center. However, It is usually used for artistic effect or to add a nostalgic feel to an image.

Let’s take this image for example.

We’ll create the vignette in by the graduated tint effect, saving a copy, and rotating the image image. Here’s how:

Use the Graduated Tint filter on the top edge of the image, crank the shade way up, so the edge is as dark as you want.

Apply the effect, save a copy.

Go to the new copy, rotate it 90 degrees and add the graduated tint feature to the new top edge of the picture.

Repeat this procedure until you have all four edges tinted.

Fake vignette with Picasa

If you were working with a color image and want it black and white, after the last edge is darkened, use the Tint effect, and tint with white and no color preservation.

Go back an delete all the intermediate files you created along the way.

To be frank this is a lame way to do this effect, but it can be done. I did it here more as a personal challenge than a workable solution. You wuold probably be better off creating the effect in Photoshop, or the free GIMP software.

[tags]picasa, vignette, gimp[/tags]