Unsung New Feature: Tilt-Shift Blur

have ever wanted make photo seem have shorter depth of field?  prior photoshop cs6 no small feat achieve digitally , end pleasing , visually believable result.

 

photographers know setting aperture wide can change mood of shot completely.  sometimes getting dof right can make difference between "also ran snapshot" , award winning photograph.

 

with today's smaller digital sensors - , big sensors if small aperture available - image that's exposed right, that's composed well, that's caught moment...  but...  more of sharp we'd like, , background or foreground distracting.

 

enter new photoshop cs6 blur filters.

 

with tilt-shift variant, 1 can progressively blur pixels based on definable gradient/mask, familiar progressive front-to-back blur change.

 

armed powerful new capability, , subject masking/separation facilities we've had couple of versions now, becomes possible:

 

1.  separate subject surroundings mask - e.g., quick select, refine edge, make new layer parts want remain sharp showing on it.  mask isn't difficult make more!  hide layer when done.

 

2. remove subject, @ least around edges, background layer underneath, e.g., selecting using above mask, expanding selection, , doing content aware fill and/or cloning.  important because in subsequent blur operation don't want parts of sharp subject blurring background.  looks weird.

 

3. use photoshop cs6's tilt-shift blur visually shorten dof in background layer, center point , unblurred region set coincide position of subject in shot.  adjust settings taste, isn't of crap shoot more since blurs update in real time on screen.

 

4.  make layer above visible, maybe things lighting (which easy, subject separated background), , voila, a whole new feel photo.

 

consider example...

 

before:

 

 

 

after:

 

almost new $10,000 lens!

 

 

-noel

excellent write-up , example, noel.

 

the trio of new blur filters allow saving generated "blur mask" (depth map) channel lens blur filter can use (or user use channel purpose). allows other creativity both painting onto (or otherwise modifying) depth map , using controls in lens blur.

 

it seems odd can't attach lens blur or new blurs smart filter. know can take several seconds compute final result, there must more that. idea why can't use them smart filters?

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