The Darken/Lighten Center filter is an essential tool in my workflow, and I use it frequently to fine-tune my images. One feature enhancement that would significantly improve its usability is the ability for the Place Center functionality to continuously redraw the effect as the center point is moved around while the mouse is depressed.
Currently, the process of adjusting the center point feels a bit tedious. I have to enable “Place Center,” try out a position, see the result, and repeat the process multiple times until I achieve the desired lighting effect. While this workflow isn’t a dealbreaker, it can become cumbersome, especially when fine-tuning precise placements.
If the center adjustment updated dynamically as the mouse moved and depressed, it would streamline this process and make it much more intuitive and efficient. I imagine this could be addressed by tweaking the redraw logic to allow for real-time updates.
Do you mean the Creative Vignetting feature (Creative Vignetting has a center function and shape function and darkens the borders of the image) or something else?
Thanks for the clarification. Any particular reason Color Efex has both functions? It seems to me Darken/Lighten Center and Creative Vignette are basically just the same thing. To lighten the centre of an image in PhotoLab, I increase Exposure and then add Creative Vignetting. I do it all the time. Here’s what it looks like:
The lighting in the photos above was awful, there was almost no light on any of the subjects. It’s all created in post.
The above is a bit off-topic, I’m curious about how you would use the two features. I completely agree that the Place Center preview should be as close to real-time as possible. It is in PhotoLab for Creative Vignette.
Hi Alec,
with Nik’s “Darken/Lighten Center” you can achieve “invisible” vignetting to direct the light with a very smooth falloff. I prefer this approach to PL, where I then use a separate, very large inverted CP while adding an additional (normal) CP to brighten the middle. Nik’s vignetting filters (there are several of them) work a little differently.
That is, when it comes to finishing, I prefer individual tools.
