try this function:
compute the distance from your input rectangle and use that as a fading factor.
cv::Mat cropFade(cv::Mat _img, cv::Rect _roi, int _maxFadeDistance)
{
cv::Mat fadeMask = cv::Mat::ones(_img.size(), CV_8UC1);
cv::rectangle(fadeMask, _roi, cv::Scalar(0),-1);
cv::imshow("mask",fadeMask>0);
cv::Mat dt;
cv::distanceTransform(fadeMask > 0, dt, CV_DIST_L2 ,CV_DIST_MASK_PRECISE);
// fade to a maximum distance:
double maxFadeDist;
if(_maxFadeDistance > 0)
maxFadeDist = _maxFadeDistance;
else
{
// find min/max vals
double min,max;
cv::minMaxLoc(dt,&min,&max);
maxFadeDist = max;
}
//dt = 1.0-(dt* 1.0/max); // values between 0 and 1 since min val should alwaysbe 0
dt = 1.0-(dt* 1.0/maxFadeDist); // values between 0 and 1 in fading region
cv::imshow("blending mask", dt);
cv::Mat imgF;
_img.convertTo(imgF,CV_32FC3);
std::vector<cv::Mat> channels;
cv::split(imgF,channels);
// multiply pixel value with the quality weights for image 1
for(unsigned int i=0; i<channels.size(); ++i)
channels[i] = channels[i].mul(dt);
cv::Mat outF;
cv::merge(channels,outF);
cv::Mat out;
outF.convertTo(out,CV_8UC3);
return out;
}
calling that with cv::Mat out = cropFade(in, cv::Rect(in.cols/4, in.rows/4, in.cols/2, in.rows/2), in.cols/8);
gives me those results for a lena with the specified rect:


this is the result for full image fading from the same unchanged rect:
