From the book
Creating a vignette
A popular effect in motion graphic design is to apply a vignette to the composition. This is often done to simulate light variations of a glass lens. It creates an interesting look that focuses the attention on the subject and sets the shot apart.
- Zoom out to see the whole image.
- Choose Layer > New > Solid.
In the Solid Settings dialog box, name this layer Vignette, click the Make Comp Size button, change the Color to black (R=0, G=0, B=0), and then click OK.
In addition to the Pen tool, After Effects provides tools that let you easily create square and elliptical masks.
- In the Tools panel, select the Ellipse tool (
), hidden behind the Rectangle tool (
).
- In the Composition panel, position the cross-hair pointer in the upper-left corner of the image. Drag to the opposite corner to create an elliptical shape that fills the image. Adjust the shape and position using the Selection tool, if necessary.
Expand the Mask 1 property in the Vignette layer to display all of the mask properties for the layer.
- Choose Subtract from the Mask 1 Mode pop-up menu.
Increase the Mask Feather amount to 200, 200 pixels.
Your composition should now resemble the following figure.
Even with this large feather amount, the vignette is a bit intense and constricting. You can give the composition more breathing room by adjusting the Mask Expansion property. The Mask Expansion property represents, in pixels, how far from the original mask edge you are expanding or contracting the adjusted edge.
- Increase Mask Expansion to 90 pixels.
- Hide the properties for the Vignette layer, and then choose File > Save.
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