Adding a background highlight/hotspot

[Paul Creedy]

I'm looking to create a hotspot effect on a solid or textured background, similar to the image attached, but I can't figure out how to do it.

I tried making a selection and then feathering it, but the feather doesn't stretch very far and is too harsh.

 A similar effect as if a light was pointing onto a background where the gradient is spread quite wide towards the edges with the light drop off.

This isn't a vignette darkening the outside, but a highlight/hotspot gradienting outwards from the hotspot.

Does anyone have a technique that I could use?

[carl123]

There will be many ways to do this, this is just one  of them

First start with a dark brown rectangle 
Then add an Ellipse shape on top using a lighter brown colour
Then add a Live Gaussian Blur Filter to the Eclipse

Everything remains editable so you can adjust the shape of the Ellipse, it's colour, opacity, etc

I have attached the Affinity document, which also includes your reference image (named background) which is not activated or needed  

 

light.afphoto

[Granddaddy]

I've made backgrounds for portraits using the Live Lighting Filter on the background layer. Perhaps that is what you are looking for. It's very flexible with many options for point, spot, and directional lighting.

[Paul Creedy]

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

@carl123 This seems to do what I was looking for, @Granddaddy I didn't even know that there was a live lighting layer.  I don't think I've noticed that before and certainly haven't used it.

Thanks again