METHOD OF VIGNETTING.
To vignette a picture in a card that com pletely covers time inner edges of the pro jecting front part of the frame, cut a hole somewhat smaller than the portion it is desired to print. This allows the light to spread as shown by Pig. :333 ; where A is an opening in a card a, which, being placed on the edges of the frame c, leaves a space of about in. between it and the nega tive D. E is the cover glass, and the dotted lines G show how the light is still further spread by reflection. The vignette should never follow closely the outline of the figure, and the conventional egg-shaped opening should as far as possible be avoided. The printer's taste must, how ever, be the guide. To cut the vignette, mark it out roughly on the card rather smaller than is thought necessary for the opening ; it can be broken out larger as required. There is no advantage in ser rating the edges, although some workers scallop them, and of the two this is to be preferred. Unless the negative is dense, when the image cannot he seen from the front the paper should first be filled in as before and the back fastened up. Lay it
flat and adjust the vignette in position, cover the opening with a sheet of ordinary white tissue paper, and fasten with draw ing pins through it into the frame. In ar ranging the vignette, a portion of the bust is necessary. but the waist should seldom or never be allowed to show. As the waist is generally a thin part of the negative, the card vignette will not suffice to stop it out, for the diminished light will still have effect. A piece of cotton-wool should generally be placed below the part marked e, the edges being fluffed out. A general rule for vignetting is to place the opening nearer the denser part of the negative. With the opening in the centre the picture will print more towards the shadow parts and appear one-sided. Another common error is to place the vignetting card to near the negative. As the light has to pass through tissue paper the exposure must be increased in the proportion of 1 to 3.