Vignette
Darkens the edges of an image with adjustable shape, feather, and offset.
Category: Effects Menu path: Effects > Vignette
Ports
| Port | Type | Direction | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
in | imageRgba16f | input | Input image |
out | imageRgba16f | output | Vignetted result |
Parameters
| Param | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
amount | scalar | 0.5 | Strength of the darkening. 0 = no effect, 1 = full black at edges. Keyframeable. |
roundness | scalar | 1.0 | Shape of the vignette. 0 = rectangular, 1 = circular. Values between blend the two. Keyframeable. |
feather | scalar | 0.5 | Width of the soft falloff from center to edge. Higher values produce a more gradual transition. Keyframeable. |
offset | vec2 | (0, 0) | Shifts the vignette center away from the image center. Keyframeable. |
Expose Channels
When enabled (E button on node header), adds input ports that override params via edge connections:
| Port | Type | Overrides |
|---|---|---|
amount_in | scalar | amount |
roundness_in | scalar | roundness |
feather_in | scalar | feather |
offset_in | vec2 | offset |
How It Works
The shader computes a distance from each pixel to the vignette center (adjusted by offset). Roundness blends between a rectangular (Chebyshev) and circular (Euclidean) distance metric. The resulting distance is smoothstepped using the feather parameter, then multiplied against the source RGB. Alpha is preserved, so the vignette only affects color, not transparency.
Usage Examples
Basic: Classic photo vignette
- Add a Vignette node after your image
- Set amount to 0.6, roundness to 1.0, feather to 0.5
- The edges darken smoothly toward the corners
Creative: Rectangular spotlight
- Set roundness to 0 for a rectangular falloff shape
- Use feather 0.3 and amount 0.9 for a dramatic spotlight effect
- Animate offset to move the bright area across the frame
Advanced: Driven vignette center
- Connect a MakeVector node to
offset_invia expose channels - Drive the vector components with animated Time + Math nodes
- The vignette center follows an animated path
Tips
- The vignette multiplies RGB only -- alpha is untouched, so it composites cleanly
- At roundness 0.5, you get a "squircle" shape that looks natural for most footage
- For a subtle film look, keep amount between 0.2 and 0.4
Related Nodes
- ColorCorrect -- global color grading without spatial variation
- Gradient -- for more complex spatial color effects, use a radial gradient as a Mix mask
- Crop -- hard rectangular cutoff instead of soft darkening