How to fade out edges of image?

[gumbo23]

I am putting together a book cover, and the printing process can be hit or miss regarding where the spine breaks relative to the front and back covers. This can mean that the front or back bleeds onto the spine, or vice versa, and it looks terrible.

 

I used to get around this by having all one color for the three cover sections, but now I want to use a back cover image. So, I need to know how to fade out the edges of the image, so that there is no danger of overlap.

 

How can I select a section of the cover image and fade it out?

 

I imagine I need to make a selection and use some kind of gradient tool, but I've no idea how to achieve the effect I'm looking for.

 

Thanks

[MEB]

Hi gumbo,

I'm not sure you want to fade all edges or just one of them (the one that touches the spine). Here's how to do it for one edge:

Assuming you're using Affinity Designer you can use the Transparency Tool to fade the image where you need to. Just select the object and drag the the Transparency Tool over it.

 

If you are using Photo, you can create a mask to achieve the same result. Draw a rectangle and apply a gradient to it. Make one of the colours of the gradient totally transparent. Then drag the rectangle layer over the image layer's thumbnail until a small vertical blue line appears in the Layers panel. That's it. If you need to adjust the gradient/mask, click on the arrow on the left of the now of the layer's thumbnail to expand it, then click on the mask's thumbnail to select it and fine tune the gradient on canvas with the Gradient Tool.

 

Here's a sample file:

mask_sample.afphoto

[gumbo23]

Hi gumbo,

I'm not sure you want to fade all edges or just one of them (the one that touches the spine). Here's how to do it for one edge:

Assuming you're using Affinity Designer you can use the Transparency Tool to fade the image where you need to. Just select the object and drag the the Transparency Tool over it.

 

If you are using Photo, you can create a mask to achieve the same result. Draw a rectangle and apply a gradient to it. Make one of the colours of the gradient totally transparent. Then drag the rectangle layer over the image layer's thumbnail until a small vertical blue line appears in the Layers panel. That's it. If you need to adjust the gradient/mask, click on the arrow on the left of the now of the layer's thumbnail to expand it, then click on the mask's thumbnail to select it and fine tune the gradient on canvas with the Gradient Tool.

 

Here's a sample file:

mask_sample.afphoto

 

Thanks - but could you give me some clearer, step-by-step instructions?

 

1. For the rectangle - how exactly do I draw it? Using the marquee tool?

 

2. How exactly do I apply the gradient? Which tool, where is it?

 

3. Are there any videos that show how to do this?

 

I'm using Photo.

 

 

Many thanks

[MEB]

Hi gumbo23,

Here's a quick video tutorial (no sound). Let me know if you still have trouble.

[gumbo23]

I actually sussed it out by using this: https://player.vimeo.com/video/152558498/

 

And this: https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/6968-gradually-fading-picture-to-full-transparency/

 

1. I used the rectangle tool to draw over the two areas I wanted to blend.

2. I used the gradient tool to create the basic gradient.

3. Above the image is a menu with color selection. 

4. I selected the color for the spine using the color picker tool, and applied that to the right side. 

5. I drew the opacity to zero on the left side.

6. I adjusted the slider to get the right blend point.

7. I copied and pasted the image, then rotated it 180* for the left side of the image, to balance it out visually.

[MEB]

Glad to know it's all sorted out :)

[juarezpaul]

MEB, I am trying to create a transparent edge to a photo (png with a transparent background) on all four sides, ideally the same width of transparence for all four sides. How do you do it? I tried the step for doing one side transparent as described above. I then copied that vector with gradiency there times. I tried adjusting each one to make transparent the left side, top, and bottom side only. Then I tried putting that over the picture layer to where you get the vertical blue line, which is what i think makes it a mask(?). It didn't quite work.

 

Not finding any other answers in the forum as of yet or it looks like this is a new feature (multiple effects/fills/gradients per shape) for the next update? Please help at your convenience. Thanks. 

[Lilium Atratum]

The steps above seem to me a bit overcomplicated if you want to fade out all four edges. I tried doing it myself in a different way, I think it should work; but for some reason - it does not.

Here is what I do:

1. Import my photo
2. Create a white rectangle over the image (of the same size)
3. Use inner glow effect on the rectangle. Blend mode: normal, color: black, radius & intensity depending on whatever is needed
4. Rasterize the object. Now I have a nice white rectangle with fading black borders.
5. Use the obtained fading white rectangle as a mask to the image below: right-click the object in the layers window and select "Mask to below"

I would imagine it would treat the white color as a full opacity and black as transparent. That's how usually masks work, don't they?
but this does not seem to work for some reason. What am I missing?

[,,,]

.

 

 

[Reid Walley]

On 7/25/2016 at 4:05 AM, MEB said:

Hi gumbo23,

Here's a quick video tutorial (no sound). Let me know if you still have trouble.

Very helpful video!