Vignette
A gradual darkening around a photo's edges that keeps the eye from wandering out of the frame and pulls attention inward.
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What it is
A vignette is a gradual change in brightness near the edges of a frame, usually darkening that pulls attention toward the center. It can happen optically when a lens delivers less light to the corners, especially wide open, or it can be added during editing as a shaped local adjustment.
Reach for a subtle vignette when the subject needs quiet separation from a busy background or the eye keeps drifting out of the frame. In a photograph, shape it around the actual subject rather than assuming the subject sits dead center.
Gotcha: a visible dark ring looks like an effect, not light. Early Instagram filters such as Lo-Fi wore that heavy ring as a signature, which is exactly why it now reads as dated. Correct unwanted lens vignetting before adding a creative one, keep the midpoint broad, and check that important hands, products, or faces near the edge have not been dimmed.
Ask AI for it
Add a subtle subject-centered vignette in Adobe Lightroom Classic using Post-Crop Vignetting: set Style to Highlight Priority, Amount -12, Midpoint 60, Roundness 0, and Feather 80. Keep the transition invisible, preserve edge highlights, and use a separate Radial Gradient if the subject is off-center.