Tutorial Objective

In this tutorial we'll show you how to use the Effect Ellipse tool to apply the filters to selected areas of your image. The Effect Ellipse is a special path that goes over the photo and renders the effect through a feathered inner circle which you can expand or contract to control the blend radius.

Step One - Open an Image

In this tutorial we'll work with an outdoor portrait shot.

Step Two - Select the Under Exposed Effect

Go under the Select Effect menu and choose the Under Exposed effect located under the Tonal Effects category. Under the effect controls increase the Opacity to 70 and the Bracket to 60 (A). Next change the Enrich to 0 and the Dreamy to 30 (B). See the screenshot below for the results.

Step Three - Select the Effect Ellipse Tool / Add an Ellipse

Click on the Effect Ellipse tool (A) and then position your cursor over the center of your photo (B).

Step Four - About the Ellipse

When you click on the photo with the Effect Ellipse tool an Ellipse is added to the document (A). The active tool then changes to the Transform Ellipse tool (B). The Transform Ellipse tool is used to adjust the position, size and shape of the ellipse you just added. The cursor (C) will change when you roll it over parts of the ellipse.

Step Five - Adjust the Ellipse

As you can see from applying the ellipse, the effect is gradually filtered through onto the image and becomes less as it nears the center. The ellipse has two paths - an inner and an outer path. The inner path controls the feather and radius over which the effect is blended. In this case, the effect mode is Global (1) so the Effect Ellipse removes the effect from the center outward. With the Transform Ellipse tool (A) still selected, move the cursor over the inner path along the center line. It will change to a double-sided arrow indicating you can drag to expand/retract the path (B). Click and drag the path towards the outside and then release it.

Step Six - Rotate the Ellipse

You can also use the Transform Ellipse tool to rotate the ellipse to get an angled blend across the photo. Move the cursor over the left center line and it changes into a curved double-sided arrow. Click and drag towards the top of the photo to rotate the ellipse in a clockwise direction then drop it when it is at an angle (A).

Step Seven - Adjust the Ellipse Blending and Scale

Now that the ellipse is rotated, move the cursor over the inner path again until you see the double sided arrow (A). Drag the path towards the middle of the ellipse. This will allow more of the effect to show up outside the radial blend area. You can see from the example below that the focal point for the photo is drawn towards the middle, which is what we want.

Now lets scale the ellipse. Move the cursor over the outer path until it changes to a scale icon (A). Click and drag the cursor towards the center of the ellipse and the entire ellipse path will begin to scale. Release the mouse when you're done and the preview will update to show the changes.

Step Eight - Move the Ellipse

Now lets move the ellipse to center it over the subject. Place the cursor over the middle of the ellipse and it will change to a four-sided arrow indicating it is ready to be used to move the ellipse. Click and hold down the cursor when it changes, then drag the ellipse to a new location and release the mouse.

Step Nine - Add Another Ellipse

You can have more than one ellipse on a photo. In this step we're going to select the Effect Ellipse tool (A) again and then click over the photo in an area where there is no ellipse (B).

As you can see below a new ellipse is added to the photo. The new ellipse uses the same shape, size and radial (inner path) settings as the previous ellipse you were just working with.

Move the cursor to the outer edge of the new ellipse until it shows the Scale icon. Click and drag to scale the second ellipse smaller (A).

Step Ten - Change the Mode to Brush-On

Change the Mode to Brush-On (1) and you'll see the effect applied to the areas inside the ellipse versus being removed, as was the case when it was set to Global. Brush-On adds the effect while Global removes the effect using the ellipse as the defined area.

Finishing Touch

Compare the original with the final image below. The two effect ellipses were used to apply the Under Exposed effect to areas on the outside while protecting and removing the effect on the areas inside.

Original ~ Under Exposed - Effect Ellipse Used

Summary

Effect Ellipses are used to blend an effect on an image. You can move, scale, rotate and reshape the ellipse as well as add more than one ellipse to your composition. By moving the inner path you control the radial blending area where the effect is added or removed using the ellipse. Use the Global mode to have the effect applied outside the ellipse and fade away from the center. Use the Brush-On mode to have the effect applied to the areas just inside the ellipse and fade away before it reaches the outer path of the ellipse.