Finish with a deliberate effect
Develop → Effects contains Halation, Glow, Vignette and Grain. They add an appearance rather than correcting the source. None is required for a clean edit. If Print stock is active, these effects feed its rendering, so a different stock can change how strongly they appear.
Use Fit to judge the whole picture, and 100% to inspect grain and bright-edge halos. Add one effect at a time, then compare with its status dot.
Halation
Watch Halation · 0:58
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- Halation · see the starting imageHalation adds a coloured spread around bright parts of the image.
- Raise halation strengthWatch the boundary between the bright tabletop and darker objects.
- Lower the highlight thresholdMore bright areas contribute; compare the midtones as well as white edges.
- Broaden the spreadScatter changes the reach of the halo; it is different from strength.
- Change dye transmissionWatch the colour of the halo while keeping its spread fixed.
- Bypass only this toolCompare the same photograph at the same zoom. The settings are retained.
- Restore the adjustmentJudge the change before combining it with other tools.
- Reset and compare the starting stateOnly this tool returns to its starting state. Other edits stay.
What it does. Adds a coloured halo around bright edges, inspired by light scattering back through film. Use it around lamps, bright windows or backlit edges when a red/orange film-like fringe suits the image.
| Control | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Amount | Sets halo strength. Zero leaves the picture without added halation. |
| Scatter | Sets how far the halo spreads from a bright edge. More spread affects a wider neighbourhood. |
| Dye transmission | Changes the halo colour from red towards orange. It does not recolour the whole photo. |
| Boost | Changes the halo's saturation. At zero it is a white glow rather than a strong coloured fringe. |
| Threshold | Sets how bright an area must be before it contributes to halation. Higher restricts the effect to brighter sources; lower includes more of the image. |
Try it. Choose a backlit edge, use a modest Amount and small Scatter, then adjust Threshold until the halo appears around the brightest sources rather than across skin or the entire scene. Refine Dye transmission and Boost last.
Watch for. A wide, saturated fringe can look like an optical defect. Compare at 100% and Fit; a halo that is subtle at one size can be conspicuous at another. To add a broader neutral bloom, use Glow instead.
Glow
Watch Glow · 0:51
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- Glow · see the starting imageGlow spreads bright areas into a softer surrounding bloom.
- Raise glow strengthThe bright surfaces become softer and spread into their surroundings.
- Include more bright tonesLower Threshold to make more of the photograph contribute.
- Make the glow broaderSize changes the spread. Compare a broad glow with crisp edges.
- Bypass only this toolCompare the same photograph at the same zoom. The settings are retained.
- Restore the adjustmentJudge the change before combining it with other tools.
- Reset and compare the starting stateOnly this tool returns to its starting state. Other edits stay.
What it does. Adds a soft bloom from bright areas. Use it for a gentle luminous or dreamy rendering when you want light to spread without necessarily producing Halation's red/orange edge.
| Control | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Strength | Sets how much bloom is added. Zero or resetting Strength switches the effect off while retaining its saved recipe for the effect switch. |
| Size | Controls how far the glow spreads. Its normal nonzero default describes spread, not whether the effect is enabled. |
| Threshold | Selects which bright areas generate glow. Higher isolates brighter sources; lower allows more of the picture to contribute. |
| Effect switch | Compares the bloom on/off without rebuilding Size and Threshold. |
Try it. Add a low Strength around a bright window, then increase Threshold until midtones stop looking veiled. Set Size for a narrow glow or a larger soft wash. Check nearby dark detail is still readable.
Watch for. Too much glow lowers apparent local contrast and can hide fine detail. It cannot recover a clipped light source. Halation and Glow can be combined, but inspect their sum.
Vignette
Watch Vignette · 0:58
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- Vignette · see the starting imageA vignette changes the edges of the frame to direct attention.
- Darken the outer imageNegative Brightness makes the edges darker; the centre stays stronger.
- Bring the vignette inwardsStart changes how close to the centre the effect begins.
- Soften the transitionFall-off controls how gradually the edge treatment appears.
- Reduce colour at the edgesSaturation changes the treated outer area separately from brightness.
- Bypass only this toolCompare the same photograph at the same zoom. The settings are retained.
- Restore the adjustmentJudge the change before combining it with other tools.
- Reset and compare the starting stateOnly this tool returns to its starting state. Other edits stay.
What it does. Darkens or lightens the corners of the kept frame to guide attention. It follows the crop and stays centred on the retained image, with matching treatment of all four corners. Use a radial mask for an off-centre subject-specific vignette.
| Control | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Amount | Negative darkens the corners; positive lightens them. Lightening scales existing light, so pure black remains black. −100 takes the extreme corners to black. |
| Midpoint | Sets how far from the centre the fade starts. Use it to keep the subject clear while reaching the surrounding frame. |
| Feather | Sets how gradually the transition develops. The blend remains smooth; a broader transition is usually less obvious. |
| Corner saturation | Negative reduces colour in the affected corners; positive increases it. At zero, changing Amount alone keeps their colour character. |
| Shape | At 1, an oval follows the frame. Lower is squarer; higher becomes more pointed, towards a diamond. |
Try it. Apply a small negative Amount, move Midpoint so the subject stays outside the strongest fade, then soften Feather. Turn the effect off and on: attention should move towards the subject without an obvious dark ring.
Watch for. This is a creative vignette, distinct from Lens corrections' removal of optical corner shading. A strong vignette can darken a face or a light corner that belongs in the composition. Recheck after changing the crop.
Grain
Watch Grain · 0:57
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- Grain · see the starting imageGrain adds texture to the finished look; it does not reduce sensor noise.
- Inspect at 100%Use the same zoom to compare real detail; Fit can hide small changes.
- Add visible grainUse an obvious amount first so its distribution is easy to recognise.
- Change the grain sizeLarger grain has a different texture even at the same strength.
- Change where grain is strongestMidtone bias shifts its tonal distribution. Compare light and dark surfaces.
- Bypass only this toolCompare the same photograph at the same zoom. The settings are retained.
- Restore the adjustmentJudge the change before combining it with other tools.
- Reset and compare the starting stateOnly this tool returns to its starting state. Other edits stay.
What it does. Adds a film-like grain texture to the image. Use it as a deliberate finishing choice or to make a very clean digital rendering less smooth. It does not remove or replace existing sensor noise.
| Control | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Amount | Sets the quantity/strength of visible grain. Start low and inspect smooth tones as well as detailed areas. |
| Size | Sets grain coarseness. Fine grain suits a subtler large-format/35 mm impression; coarse grain gives a rougher small-format impression. These are visual choices, not a change to capture resolution. |
| Mid-tone bias | As it rises, keeps more grain out of the deepest shadows and brightest highlights, concentrating it in the middle tones. |
| Effect switch / Reset | Compares or restores this grain layer while retaining other finishing edits. |
Try it. Choose Size at 100% first, then set Amount. Inspect a smooth wall and a face. Adjust Mid-tone bias if the grain overwhelms bright skies or deep blacks, then inspect the intended final viewing size after resizing.
Watch for. A fitted preview can hide grain. Export resizing changes its apparent visibility. Image Match has its own optional grain component; check that you are not unintentionally adding grain in both places. A stock's name alone does not select this tool's grain amount.