05 Vignette effect
I think my still life shot needs a vignette effect help frame it more effectively and add some contrast to the lighting. Topaz B&W has comprehensive vignette controls, and they can be found in the Finishing Adjustments panel. I’ve moved the Vignette Strength slider to the left to darken the edges of the picture, but the effect looks too strong at the moment.
06 Vignette adjustments
To make the vignette effect more subtle, I’ve increased the Size, Transition and Curvature values. This pushes the vignette effect further out towards the edges of the picture and blends it in more subtly.
07 Transparency adjustment
This is where I think Topaz B&W gets especially interesting. Right at the bottom of the Finishing Touches panel is a Transparency section. If I push the Overall Transparency slider up by just a little, I start to see some of the colour of the original image coming through. That’s just enough to lift this picture to another level, and I’m really pleased with the outcome.
08 The finished picture
The Detail slider has given this picture some real texture and ‘bite’, the vignette effect has improved both the lighting effect and the composition, and the transparency slider has given it a delicate touch of colour that’s more interesting than the usual toning/split-toning effects you usually associate with black and white plug-ins.
See also
More Topaz tutorials
