Vignette
Using Adobe Photoshop 5.5
Before
After
1) Open Image
Go to File and Open. Find your image and select open.
   
2) Image, Mode, RGB
Go to image, go down to mode, and then down to RGB Color
   
3) Make Background a Layer
Double click on the Background layer and rename it to Layer 0. If the layers palette is not showing go to Windows , Show Layers.
   
4) Select Area with Marquee Tool
Select the area you want to apply the vignette to using the Marquee tool
 

   
5) Actions Palette
Select Window and Show Actions
   

6) Select Vignette
On the action palette select vignette. Then select the play button.
   
7) Select Feather Amount
When the play button is selected the Feather Selection window will appear. Choose anywhere from 1 - 30 pixels. 1 pixel will give you very little fade. 30 pixels will give you a large fade.