A very soft vignette will generally result from this. Another course which is sometimes adopted is to serrate the edges of the aperture as shown here. This also pro duces a soft vignette.
If it be considered that the vignette does not ex tend far enough at any place the aperture may be widened, as in the following cut. If it extend too far a piece of paper may be gummed on to the- paste board so as to project beyond the edge. We show in the accompanying cut, in clotted lines, an example of how such a piece of paper might be applied. At times it will be found that the negative is of such a character that the shading tends to extend farther in one general direction than in another. In such a case the vignettes may he brought nearer the negative at that end or side where the shading tends to extend too far.
For portraits the proceeding is quite similar to that for landscapes. The opening in the paper is, however, in this case usually unequal at the two ends—is, in fact, a true oval or egg-shape, the broadest end being down wards.
The background needs special attention in the case of portraits which are to he vignetted. It must he light, but should not he so light that it will print white. A blanket generally gives just about the right shade of colour for a background for vignetted portraits. This may be used by amateurs, but if it is, care must be taken to keep it at such a distance behind the sitter that it will be so much out of focus that the texture will not be visible in the negative or print.
It is necessary, in cutting the oval for a portrait, to be very careful as to its size. We here give a sketch which shows the general shape of a head and shoulders, such as would be suitable for a vignette, and in dotted lines we give about the shape of the aperture in the piece of pasteboard.
A vignette should be printed scarcely so deeply as an ordinary print, the great aim, as we have said, being to secure delicacy.
The extemporised piece of apparatus which we have described will do very well for the first experiments of the amateur, and indeed is the only thing that is used by many experienced photographers ; but there are several very neat little appliances whereby the process may be much facilitated. We may mention amongst these vignetting-glasses. These are plates of glass of about the same size as the negative to be printed from. There is a transparent oval in the centre, whilst the sides are of a ruby colour, so that no actinic light passes. The ruby colour is gently shaded off, so that great soft ness is produced in the vignette. The vignetting-glass takes precisely the same position that the cardboard with the oval opening did.
One of the best vignetters which can be had is cut out of a piece of wood a quarter to three-eighths of an inch thick. A hole is cut in this precisely as in the case of the cardboard, and this is bevelled away on the under side so as to produce the same effect that the pinching up of the cardboard at the edge did.
Marion's, new vignetting-frame, which we here illus trate, is an extremely useful piece of apparatus. It will be seen that besides the ordinary frame with a folding back, there is a space for slipping in a piece of wood, with aperture cut and bevelled as we have described. There are, moreover, means whereby the position of the vignettes may be altered, and whereby it may be clamped fast when the proper position is discovered. Several vignetters are provided with each frame. It is very easy to get others made if they are required for special purposes.