Create A Burnt Edge Effect - Advanced Technology Support, Inc.

Photoshop Tutorial: Create A Burnt Edge Effect 

By Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com 

CREATE A BURNT EDGE EFFECT 

One of the all-time classic effects in Photoshop is the burnt edge, and there’s lots of different ways to create it, but in this 

Adobe Photoshop tutorial, we’re going to look at a way that’s not only easy, it’s also extremely flexible. 

We’ll be using a Curves adjustment layer to create the initial effect, and then we’ll see how easy it is to fine-tune it and 

create different variations. Finally, we’ll see how to easily add the finished effect to other photos without having to redo 

anything. 

Here’s the photo I’ll be using for this Photoshop tutorial: 

Let’s get started! 

Step 1: Add A Curves Adjustment Layer 

The first thing we’re going to do is add a Curves adjustment layer. If you’ve never used 

Curves before or you’re not very comfortable with it, don’t worry, what we’ll be doing here 

is simple. Click on the New Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers palette: 

Click the “New Adjustment Layer” icon 

at the bottom of the Layers palette. 

Then select Curves from the list of adjustment layers: 

Select “Curves” from the list 

of adjustment layers. 

This Photoshop Tutorial © 2008 Steve Patterson, Photoshop Essentials.com. 

Not To Be Reproduced Or Redistributed Without Permission. 

1



This brings up the Curves dialog box. As I mentioned, if you’re not familiar or comfortable 

with using Curves yet, don’t worry. We just need to do one simple thing here. See that little 

square in the top right corner that I’ve circled in red? All we’re going to be doing is moving 

it: 

The “Curves” dialog box in Photoshop. 

Step 2: Drag The White Point Marker Straight Down 

With the Curves dialog box open, grab the white point marker in the top right corner (it’s 

the little square I circled on the previous page) and simply drag it straight down, almost 

to the bottom, until the Output option in the bottom left corner (also circled in red below) 

reads somewhere between 10 and 20: 

Drag the white point marker straight 

down until the “Output” reads 

somewhere between 10 and 20. 

This is going to make your image appear to be darkened almost to the point where it becomes black: 

The image now appears darkened 

almost to solid black. 

Step 3: Create A Border Area With The Rectangular Marquee Tool 

Next, grab the Rectangular Marquee Tool from the Tools palette or press M to quickly select it: 

Select the “Rectangular 

Marquee Tool”. 

With the Rectangular Marquee Tool, drag out a selection inside the image to create a border area around the edges (next 

page): 



2



Drag out a selection inside 

the image to create a border 

area around the edges. 

Step 4: Fill The Selection With Black On The Curves Layer Mask 

Click on the layer mask thumbnail for the Curves adjustment layer in the Layers palette to 

select it: 

Click on the Curves layer 

mask thumbnail to select it 

in the Layers palette. 

Make sure black is your foreground color, then press Alt-Backspace (Win) / Option- 

Delete (Mac) to fill the selected area with black. This will hide the Curves adjustment 

layer in the area of the image that was inside the selection, leaving only the border area 

around it dark: 

Only the border area around 

the edges is now affected by 

the Curves adjustment layer. 

The layer mask thumbnail in the Layers palette now appears black with a white border 

around it: 

The layer mask thumbnail now appears black in the center with a white border around it. 



3



Step 5: Apply The Gaussian Blur Filter To The Layer Mask 

We need to soften the border edges, and we’re going to use the Gaussian Blur filter 

for that, which will give us a nice preview of what we’re doing. With the Curves layer 

mask still selected in the Layers palette, go up to the Filter menu at the top of the 

screen, select Blur, and then select Gaussian Blur. This brings up the Gaussian 

Blur dialog box. Drag the slider bar at the bottom to increase or decrease the amount 

of blurring until you’ve softened the border edges to your liking. Keep an eye on the 

image for a preview of what you’re doing. I’ve set my Radius value to about 25 

pixels here: 

Use the slider bar at the bottom 

to adjust the blurring amount 

and soften the border edges. 

And here’s how my image looks: 

The dark edges are now softened. 

Step 6: Use Free Transform To Resize The Layer Mask If 

Needed 

I mentioned at the beginning of this tutorial that we’re creating this effect in 

a way that’s very flexible, and one of the reasons it’s so flexible is because 

we can resize the edges around the image if needed simply by resizing the 

layer mask using Photoshop’s Free Transform command. To do that, with 

the Curves adjustment layer selected in the Layers palette, simply use the 

keyboard shortcut Ctrl+T (Win) / Command+T (Mac) to bring up the Free 

Transform box and handles, and then drag any of the handles in or out to 

resize the mask, which resizes the edge effect around the image: 

Hold down Shift+Alt (Win) / Shift+Option (Mac) while dragging any of the 

corner handles to resize the mask from the center and maintain the same 

proportions. 

Resize the edges around the image if needed by resizing the layer mask with the “Free Transform” command. 



4



Step 7: Lower The Opacity Of The Curves Adjustment Layer If Needed 

Another reason this method is so flexible is that we can reduce the amount of darkening 

around the edges if we need to simply by lowering the opacity of the Curves adjustment 

layer. To do that, with the Curves adjustment layer selected, go up to the Opacity option in 

the top right corner of the Layers palette, hover your mouse directly over the word “Opacity” 

which turns your mouse cursor into Photoshop’s “scrubby sliders” icon, and then drag your 

mouse to the left. As you drag, you’ll be lowering the opacity and lightening the edges. I’ve 

lowered mine to 60% here: 

Lower the opacity of the Curves adjustment layer to lighten the edges if needed. 

This gives me a more subtle edge darkening effect: 

The edge darkening is now more subtle. 

We’ll look at a couple of other easy variations on the effect next. 

Step 8: Change The Layer Blend Mode For Different Variations 

You can also change the blend mode of the Curves adjustment layer for different variations 

on the effect. To do that, simply go up to the blend mode options in the top left corner of 

the Layers palette, click on the down-pointing arrow to the right of the word “Normal” and 

select a different blend mode from the list. Here’s the effect with the Curves adjustment 

layer set to Overlay (I’ve set my Opacity value back to 100%): 

The Curves adjustment layer set to the “Overlay” blend mode. 

This gives me dark, saturated colors around the edges (next page): 



5



The edges now have dark, saturated colors. 

Here’s another variation, this time with the blend mode set to Color: 

The Curves adjustment layer set to the “Color” blend mode. 

Despite the name, the “Color” blend mode actually removes all the color from the 

edges, leaving them black and white, with the color fading in towards the center of 

the photo: 

Finally, let’s see how to now use this Curves adjustment layer to quickly add the 

exact same effect to a different photo. We’ll do that next. 

The edges are now black and white, with 

the color fading in towards the center. 



6



Step 9: Open Another Image You Want To Add The Burnt-In Edge Effect To 

Let’s look at how easy it is now to add our finished effect to another image without having 

to redo any of the steps. Before we do, I’m just going to reset my layer blend mode back to 

“Normal”. You don’t have to do this if you prefer one of the other blend modes. I just want 

to set mine back to the original effect: 

The layer blend mode is now 

set back to “Normal”. 

Now that I’ve done that, I’m going to open a second image that I want to apply this effect to, so I end up with two document 

windows on my screen: 

A second image now opened on the screen along with the original. 

Step 10: Drag The Curves Adjustment Layer Over To The Second Image 

All we need to do in order to create the same effect in the second 

image is to copy the Curves adjustment layer from our original 

image over to the second one. To do that, first click on the original 

image’s Document Window to select it. Then, grab the Move tool 

either from the Tools palette or by pressing V on your keyboard. 

With the Curves adjustment layer selected in the Layers palette, 

click anywhere inside the original image’s Document Window and 

drag your mouse into the second image. You won’t be dragging the 

first image onto the second. Instead, you’ll be dragging the Curves 

adjustment layer onto the second image. Hold down your Shift 

key just before releasing your mouse to automatically center the 

adjustment layer onto the second image: 

With both images open, drag the Curves adjustment 

layer from the original image onto the second one. 



7


And instantly, the effect is recreated on the second image with no effort at all: 


The effect is instantly added to the second image. 

You can then change the blend mode, resize the layer mask, or lower the opacity to your liking. 

And there we have it! That’s how easy it is to create this classic “burnt-in edge” effect in Photoshop, fine-tune it, create 

different variations using different layer blend modes, and then add the same effect to another image instantly! 

For more Adobe Photoshop tutorials, visit Photoshop Essentials.com @ www.photoshopessentials.com! 



8

Create A Burnt Edge Effect - Advanced Technology Support, Inc.

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?