Soft Vignette

Vignette effects, where the edges of the image shade off gradually, always seem popular. I don't often use this kind of thing myself, but I thought it was time the xero collection included a vignette effect of some kind, and this is it.

This plugin, I'm afraid, has an indecent number of controls...

Gradient shape	You can choose from a drop-down list of fourteen gradient shapes. By default, the elliptical shape is selected because, on the whole, it's the most useful. This filter uses Filtermeister's built-in gradient engine, so some of the shapes available aren't likely to be especially useful - but it was easier to leave them in than to suppress them. And who knows - someone somewhere may find a use for them. The list of shapes includes 'None', so you can apply one of the preset effects over the whole image if you want to.
Sharp	If you tick this checkbox, the vignette shape will have more clearly defined edges.
Invert	Tick this checkbox to invert the gradient. For example: when the elliptical shape is selected, your chosen effect is applied to the outer part of the image, while the central region is unaffected. When the 'Invert' checkbox is ticked, the effect is applied to the central area, and the outer areas are unchanged.
Effect type	This drop-down list offers fourteen different effects that can be applied. Personally, I like the 'blur' and 'zoom' effects, but there are plenty of others to choose from. Also in the list is 'transparency', which opens up many possibilities. You can, for example, duplicate a layer, apply any effect (or effects) to the lower layer, then use the Soft Vignette transparency option on the upper layer to reveal parts of the lower layer.   Note The blur, mist and zoom effects are very slow at high 'strength' settings. When you select one of these effects, the filter automatically sets the strength slider down to a reasonable level. The higher settings don't really improve the look of these effects, anyway!
Pattern type	By default, the chosen effect is applied uniformly to the image in the vignetted area. This drop-down allows you to chose from eight different pattern masks, so that the effect is applied as a pattern of dots or lines.
Repeats	Setting this slider to anything above the default setting causes the selected gradient to be applied in a repeating pattern across the image, so you'll get a sort of banded effect rather than a vignette.
Width	This slider controls the width of the gradient. For example, with the default elliptical gradient, you can make the width of the central unaffected area larger or smaller.
Height	This slider controls the height of the gradient.
Strength	Set the strength of the selected effect with this slider - but beware of high settings with the blur, mist and zoom effects!

Note Often, you will want to focus the vignette shape on a part of the image other than the central region. Easy - move the mouse cursor over the preview window, and right-click on the part of the image over which the vignette should be centred.
 
Time for some examples...

	Younger son Jack, looking as cute as only he knows how, sitting in a field and playing to the camera for all he's worth. The vignette effect is simply the default elliptical shape, foreground colour.
	Jack again, on a beach in Wales, with a 'zoom out' vignette to give that 'Roy- Scheider-waiting-for-the-shark-to-turn-up' feel.
	Older son Lee, sitting on a lump of quartz. The 'zoom in' effect is courtesy of Soft Vignette, of course.
	Jack and Kathryn, walking by the river in Beddgelert (Wales again), with a blur vignette making it look as though there was rain on the lens. There's a certain irony there - this was one of our few visits to Beddgelert when it wasn't raining.