Feathering....

[kaleidoscope]

what is it and how does it work? Is it basically like softening/fading out from the edge instead of having a defined edge?
Got any how-to or tips or that sort of thing? Where, when, how, why would I use it? LOL

[dugarner]

That is exactly what it is!

Places where I use it that I didn't used to think about (how's that for a mouthful):

When tracing something detailed for an extraction or a levels correction (for instance, if someone is really under/overexposed in a photo but the rest of the picture is okay), I usually set a feather at 2-3 px, depending on how detailed the tracing will be. If I don't feather, it winds up harsh.

Feathering is great when you're making a vignette. You can achieve very subtle results with a large feather. You can do the same thing with a gradient, but I think gradients are harder to work with.

I'm sure you'll get lots of great advice! I really haven't used it much in the past year or so.

[Lisa Pate]

I use feathering quite often. This great tutorial by Cassie goes over it.
How?d They Do That? No. 13: Bending Shadows

[kaleidoscope]

Sarah..... HUH??? ROFL

[kaleidoscope]

Sarah, after reading it several times I think it sank in. LOL

[dugarner]

Originally Posted by kaleidoscope

Sarah, after reading it several times I think it sank in. LOL

Oops, sorry! I didn't see your reply from last week. Usually I try really hard to make things sound simple, but when I re-read that, I wondered what I was doing when I was typing that! Sorry!

[kaleidoscope]

No problem. LOL I appreciate the help.