Vignette is not applied to the full image size for layers not covering it fully

Is something not working like it should? Let us know.
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2022-01-09 11:16:13

I just remarked a strange thing which seems a bug to me: when you have a layer with empty parts, the "vignette" tools (either from the Color or Effects palette) are only applied to the part with something in it.

In the example below, I have a white background layer, and above it another layer with a small white rectangle in the center of it. I have applied the vignette effect with the default parameters on it, and you can see the result: the vignette effect is applied to the non-empty part of each layer.

Image

If I would like to have it applied on both layers similarly, I would need to group the layers and apply the effect to the group:

Image
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2022-01-09 11:17:21

(Pixelmator Pro 2.3.4, macOS 12.1)
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2022-01-09 21:10:49

I´m not able to recreate it.
New document with white background - draw rectangle filled with white
Select background element and call Add effect->Vignette - just this element will get the vignette.
I´m not sure what you mean by "layer with empty parts" BTW.
(macOS 11.6.2 PM2.3.4)
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2022-01-09 22:04:49

You miss the 2nd part: select front layer (the small rectangle) and call Add effect->Vignette. The Vignette effect is applied only to the small rectangle (as if it was the whole image), producing what you see in my 1st screenshot.

Here is another screenshot where the upper layer contains 2 small rectangles. The Vignette effect on that layer is applied only on the surface covered by the two rectangles, not the full size of the image as I would expect:

Image

Here is a link to the file:

https://www.jottacloud.com/s/13773f3e39 ... 72e8a0cbe2
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2022-01-09 23:56:28

I have no clue what you´re after finally. If you drag the effect rope to the middle of the page/canvas and set the Radius to max% the middle rectangle will no longer be visible.
It will look like so:
Image
And with both layers enabled you won´t see the 2 rectangles anymore:
Image
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2022-01-10 08:20:01

You just got my point: to me it's not normal that when you apply the same effect to different layers, the default parameters are not the same: in this case, Vignette is not applied to the whole image canvas if there are empty areas on the borders. It is only applied to the area defined by the exterior dimensions of the non-transparent elements in the layer.

The same behaviour exists with the Vignette tool in the Colors settings, which doesn't allow to modify the center. This is how I discovered the issue: I had a scanned photo in the background, with repairs (dust and hair removal) made in another layer to preserve the original. I did Color corrections including Vignette on the background layer and copied/pasted them to the repair layer for both to match. Everything was fine except the vignette...

I know there are several ways to override this behaviour (the way you did it, or applying Vignette on grouped layers for instance), but it's still an issue in my opinion. The problem I see if it is corrected is that some people may have used voluntarily it in their work...
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2022-01-10 12:57:03

Vignette and I guess all effects will work on selected layer and its content - effects don´t know your canvas size. Honestly I wouldn´t call it a bug.
I might rethink my workflow. If you have already applied "Vignette" and copy a piece of that layer to a new one, it will also contain the applied "Vignette" effect. So in that case it makes no sense to apply a new one. My question would rather be: "How do I get rid of the vignette on the background if I have already worked on new layers?"
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2022-01-10 13:10:56

Let's call it a design choice :wink: . I can live with it but it still hurts my logic... (I think related to the whole image, not related to each individual layers sizes).

To come back to my workflow, here it is :

open the scanned picture -> create an empty layer -> use the "Repair" tool from that empty layer to patch dust and scratches -> switch back to the background layer and correct colours/exposure/etc. -> when I'm OK, copy the Colour corrections from the layer -> activate the dust correction layer and paste the colour settings.

This workflow works perfectly except if I use the Vignette tool from the Colour settings.

I won't fight for a change as there are workarounds, but I'd like my point of view understood...
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2022-01-11 14:03:44

by Marc Saurfelt I won't fight for a change as there are workarounds, but I'd like my point of view understood...
Thanks, Marc. Fair and logical feedback. I guess your workflow would be complete if adjustment layers were available in Pixelmator Pro. We have this on our roadmap!