We all know that Photoshop is a very powerful tool. In this article, I will tell you how to use the Photoshop CS3 "" filter:

We'll create images that look like they were shot with a tilt-shift lens. Tool " Shallow depth of field blur" creates the effect of a more localized depth of field, so some areas of your image will be in focus while other areas will be blurred. Combined with the alpha channel, which determines the direction of blur, we have a powerful tool for creating masks and modifying photos.

The easiest way is to show you in practice how it works " Shallow depth of field blur».

Let's look at a simple example:

First, we can use a gradient to define areas that should be completely sharp (white) and areas that should be blurry (black).

We can determine how blurry the most blurry part of the image will be: I'll explain that in a second. When you apply the filter " Shallow depth of field blur" and a gradient called a depth map, we see that the image becomes increasingly blurry from left to right:

Tilt-shift photography is a technique popular today that uses a specially tuned lens to create a very shallow depth of field.

Lately it has often been used for what is called " fake miniature“, an optical illusion in which the use of a tilt-shift lens makes your brain perceive the image as if you were looking at a miniature model of the scene rather than the scene itself.

In any case, you will see that the hallmark of a tilt-shift image is that it has a very narrow area in focus. Everything else is blurry, and outside of that in-focus stripe you end up with a blurry image.

We can create this effect in Photoshop. First, open the image you want to apply the effect to. This is more suitable for landscapes, especially for shots in open space. I'll use a photo I took in Hawaii a few years ago:

For this image, we want to define an area in the center that will be in focus. In this article I will be working with the RGB color mode.

To change the color mode, go to Image - Mode - RGB Colors:

• Select the Gradient tool;
• In the toolbar, click the " Mirror Gradient»:

3. Select black as the foreground color, white as the background color;
4. Make sure that the gradient is set to transition from the foreground color to the background color;
5. In the “Channels” palette, create a new channel;
6. Click on the channel visibility icon next to the RGB channel (first in the list):

• Now you can see that a red tone area has appeared in the image. Create a gradient starting from the middle of the image ( where will the sharp focus point be?), and to a point three-quarters of the distance from the top of the image;
• Click on the RGB channel in the Channels palette:

Martian landscape! You have just created a depth map. This red stripe is the narrow stripe that will be in focus in the final image. Now we can make the channel you just created invisible by clicking on the visibility icon next to it. As a result, the red tone will disappear.

Before we apply " Shallow depth of field blur", let's make a copy of the image on a separate layer because we will need the original later. Click on the layers palette, select the layer with your image, and press Ctrl + J. This will create a copy of the image on a separate layer.

Now, with the new layer selected, go to the menu Filter - Blur, and then " Shallow depth of field blur».

You should see the following window:

For our depth map, the source must already be selected - Alpha 1 ( or whatever you named the depth map channel we just created).

Focal length determines how blurry the sharpest point in the image will be. In this case, it should be zero, meaning no blur should be applied to that part of the image.

Next, we must determine how blurry the rest of the image should become, this is done using the “Radius” parameter. Set its slider approximately in the middle, and you will already see how the effect appears " fake miniatures". If you want to tinker with the settings, you can select an exact radius value and get a more suitable result.

I choose the settings for the other options in this panel largely through experimentation. I set the aperture to hexagonal, “Sheet curvature” to 12, “Rotation” to 85, and left the other options at their default values.

You can "damp down" the brightness of the light parts of the image using the " Mirror lighting" You can also add noise to blurred areas of the image using the Noise option.

Also, if you draw the gradient in the wrong direction, you don't need to redraw the depth map: just check the "Invert" option.

Then click OK. After Photoshop has processed your image ( which may take a minute or two, depending on the speed of your computer and the size of the image), we can add a few more extra touches.

For example, in my image the top of the dome is too blurry for my liking - it should be more in focus. I can take the "Eraser" with a fairly large soft brush and erase part of the layer in which we applied " Shallow depth of field blur" to reveal the sharp layer below:

It's pretty easy! And it's much better than buying a special lens. You can see the finished version of the image in large size here:

Translation of the article " How to use Photoshop's Lens Blur tool for tilt-shift fakery (Part 1 of 2)» was prepared by the friendly project team

Tips on materials from Diana Efteikha .

Even though distant objects appear smaller and smaller as distance increases, you can still imagine in your mind the actual size of the distant object. As for straight parallel lines, as they move away they seem to converge at one point, although the brain continues to perceive them as parallel lines. This phenomenon is known as the "constancy scale." We are talking about an unchanging tendency in the perception of an object, associated with the experience of the viewer, despite its significant discrepancy in relation to the observed image.

Since photography is an optical recording of reality, the same principles apply to it. And to maintain realism, depth must be conveyed in the image. In addition, increasing the sense of depth tends to involve the viewer in the picture and create for him the effect of presence in specific conditions. All of this can be controlled using different types of perspectives, which we'll discuss further later in this article, as well as using depth of field and framing.

Perspective in photography is a method of representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional plane, preserving the idea of ​​the distance of objects in relation to each other, and also visually conveying the feeling of the distance between them and the camera.

So, to enhance the sense of depth in your photos, you can use some of the following factors.

Linear perspective

This is the most common type of perspective used in photography and is characterized by converging lines. Although these lines are mostly parallel, the further they extend from the camera, the closer together they appear until they finally converge at one or more points. This happens if they are able to extend a sufficient distance within the frame. Thus, straight lines in a photograph become diagonals, giving it a sense of dynamism and drawing the viewer’s eye into the distance of the scene. This creates a feeling of depth.

Wide-angle lenses tend to emphasize linear perspective as they increase depth perception by allowing greater distance between the foreground and background of a scene. Thus, they emphasize the appearance of converging lines. At the same time, telephoto lenses visually reduce the distance between the foreground and background, so the lines have no chance to converge.

This phenomenon is known as lens compression and is characteristic of telephoto lenses, which seem to compress space, reducing the distance between the foreground and background. This effect visually brings the elements of the scene closer to each other and to the camera, and to a greater extent than they actually are.

The photo below was taken with an 18mm wide-angle lens and you can see just how wide the scene is. At the same time, the sense of depth is enhanced by emphasizing and increasing the appearance of converging lines.

The perspective of converging lines also depends largely on the shooting angle and camera tilt. A low angle will give a completely different effect compared to shooting from some elevation.

Decreasing perspective

Diminished perspective is related to linear perspective and describes a way of rendering an image in which the further away an object is from the camera, the smaller it appears. If you have a scene with a road and power lines on either side of it, the tallest object will appear at the near edge, that is, in the foreground, followed by objects that get shorter and shorter. This tendency will increase towards the background until the objects become a speck in the photo.

This type of perspective works best with elements that are identical or very similar in size and placed at different distances from the camera. The sense of depth in the frame will be enhanced by the fact that the viewer knows that in reality these elements are the same size.

The photo below is a great example of both linear perspectives. You can experience pronounced depth with diminishing horizontal as well as vertical perspective.

Another successful example of reducing perspective is the popular use of a spiral staircase, photographed from above. Imagine there is a straight vertical line in the center of the stairs. This will serve as a kind of imaginary horizon, although since we are talking about the vertical, we will assume that this is the axis. The further down the stairs you look, the smaller the circle in the center looks. And finally, it narrows down to the size of a single point. This is the case if the stairs go far enough. The photos below are great examples of this technique:

Aerial perspective

Aerial perspective (also known as atmospheric) is mostly common in landscape photography, where foggy, unclear scenes are especially relevant. Shooting in haze and fog emphasizes the subjects' shapes and also adds depth to the scene. Objects closest to the camera have rich, natural color. But as the object moves away from the lens, the colors fade, blur and lose saturation.

When you look at a photograph like this, it seems as if the scene is made up of layers superimposed on each other. There is a tonal contrast between the foreground and background, and the middle of the frame gives a sense of distance between them. This separation of planes creates a feeling of depth.

It's easy to feel the depth in an image in paintings like the ones you see below. The eye perceives what is most obvious first, which is the darker foreground. The viewer's eye then moves beyond the foreground, sliding deeper into the scene where the image becomes lighter and lighter. Such scenes usually consist primarily of one color, but the contrast between the different planes results from the differences between the way the light hits them, creating a tonal map that the viewer's eye travels along, distinguishing each part from one another.

Aerial perspective is widely used in painting and is also becoming increasingly popular among landscape photographers. They cleverly use weather conditions to their advantage to create vibrant, new-looking images even when photographing well-known scenes.

Telephoto lenses work better at emphasizing the aerial perspective in a photo than wide-angle lenses. Because the part of the scene that is closer to the camera (where there is less fog, more subject sharpness and color saturation) tends to fall out of the frame. And if you're using a telephoto lens, keep in mind that you may need a tripod because they tend to have a greater tendency to cause camera shake compared to some other lenses.

Winter fog and cloudy days are best suited for this technique. Although summer foggy days, as well as low floating clouds, work great. By choosing your exposure wisely, you can fool your camera's light meter into thinking the scene is brighter than it actually is, resulting in the desired exposure.

What you need to do is add a couple of stops using the exposure compensation feature on your camera, or if you're shooting in manual mode, choose to read the scene and then adjust your shutter speed, aperture and ISO to overexpose the scene by a couple of stops.

Tonal perspective

Tonal perspective describes how we perceive the placement of objects within a frame, and therefore the depth of a photograph, based on tonal changes from dark to light as we move through the frame. This can be emphasized by placing lighter objects against a dark background, which helps highlight them and bring them forward, thereby adding a sense of depth to the image.

The colors of objects also play an important role in the perception of depth in a photograph. For example, warm shades of red, yellow and orange tend to promote, while cool colors such as blue, purple and green tend to retreat. Thus, placing a red object on a blue background or a yellow object on a green background will emphasize and enhance the sense of depth in the photo.

Depth of field

Depth of field affects the degree of clarity and blur inherent in various elements of the frame. Our brain perceives clear objects as being closer, while blurry objects are perceived as farther away. Moreover, the feeling of increasing distance increases with increasing blurriness of the object.

). The layer with the ground must be deformed, as shown in the figure. This type of distortion will create the illusion of depth.

Add a layer mask to the layers and use a black brush to hide the borders of the images.

Create a new layer under the image layers and fill it with Gradient. The gradient color is selected in accordance with the tonality of the image.

We add a board to the collage and give it “Distortion”, deepening the picture. For convenience, you can use “Auxiliary Elements” - “Grid” (the “View” tab). You should narrow the edge of the board, this will deepen the image; if you lower the board, the depth will be even more pronounced.

Using the “Color Balance” adjustment layer, which we make with a clipping mask in relation to the layer with the board: while holding down the Alt key, left-click on the border of the layers. This will allow you to change the color balance of a specific layer.

On top of all layers, create a “Color Search” adjustment layer and select options.

We will create other layers under this adjustment layer. Create a new layer and use a soft brush of a dark color to paint on the sides and bottom of the image. This will be the shadow.

Apply “Gaussian Blur” to this layer: “Filter” tab – “Blur”.

Add a layer mask to this layer and use a black brush to hide that part of the shadow that falls in the middle of the image. We will have light there.

Under the layer with the board, create a new layer and in it, using a soft type brush, color f3ecc2 or another light, slightly bright one, put a large spot. Add blur.

Under this layer, create a new layer and in it, on the sides of the board, draw dark spots that will be shadows. Let's blur them.

Add a layer mask to the board layer and use a black brush with 50% opacity to paint over the edge of the board, slightly hiding it.

Under the “Color Search” layer, create a “Color Balance” adjustment layer and align the tones of the image.

Under this layer, insert an image of a bird, add a “Color Balance” adjustment layer to this layer, make it a clipping mask and match the tonality of the bird to the overall tonality of the image.

Create a shadow from the bird. Make a duplicate of the layer with the bird and drag it in the layers window under the main layer with the bird, or make the main layer a shadow. You need to flip this layer in a mirror image. To do this, follow the steps shown in the figure.

In order for the layer to become dark and colorless, you need to desaturate it: tab “Image” - “Correction” - “Desaturate” and use the “Levels” adjustment layer (which we make with a clipping mask in relation to the layer with the shadow) to make the layer dark.

Give the shadow layer a "Slant" effect.

Give the shadow layer a blur.

The sky layer can be slightly deformed.

Adjust the length of the board to match the bird's shadow.

Create a new layer under the “Color Search” adjustment layer and in it at the bottom of the image, paint on the bottom with a dark color brush. Add blur. This will darken the bottom of the image.

If necessary, you can add adjustment layers on top of all layers: “Curves” to change the distribution of light and shadow, you can also add a “Color Search” layer and select a color tone option.

We get an image with a depth effect.

Often on various forums for professionals you can see an unusual abbreviation that is very similar to a cold. What does it mean? Depth of sharply depicted space, abbreviated as DOF. This is the name for the zone in which any object in the frame will stand out and look sharp.

Image depth of field

You need to remember that even the most seemingly harmless mistake made when focusing can greatly ruin your photo. And at the same time, it will be absolutely unimportant whether you shot a portrait or captured a full-length model. The lack of sharpness of the photo is very noticeable, so much so that even those who do not have knowledge of the rules of photography can notice it.

How to use depth of field when shooting close-ups? The answer is simple - focus on the eyes. In any portrait, the eyes are an indicator of sharpness, and when they are out of focus, your photo loses greatly.

Depth of field in photography: Separating the subject from the background

As we have already found out, the optimal depth of field contributes to an excellent visual effect - the separation of the subject from the background. The photo gains volume, the background is blurred, the subject attracts the viewer’s attention - in general, an excellent formula for success.

But you shouldn’t completely erase the background; it doesn’t look organic everywhere. It may turn out that you destroy a beautiful location and turn it into a sparse, spotted background that will resemble a studio photo for a school yearbook. When the background is “readable” (that is, you can visualize where the shoot is taking place), it adds a special ambiance to the photo that can make your photo more successful. Remember, when you want to highlight an object in the frame, think about how to achieve depth of field.

Controlling depth of field in the camera

It is the aperture value that most influences the depth of field of a photo. But there are two more points on which the depth of field depends. This is the focal length and the distance to the subject.

Once you understand from your own experience how the above-mentioned factors can affect a photo, learn how to combine them correctly, you will immediately understand how to change the depth of field and how to create a composition with the desired depth of field.

Now we propose to consider these three points in order of their importance for the final result. What does depth of field depend on?

Diaphragm

The effect of aperture on depth of field is what you need to pay attention to first.

And now a lyrical digression for beginners, so if you know where the aperture is in the camera and how to use it, then you can safely skip this passage of text.

The aperture in a digital camera is the "hole" that allows light to pass through to your camera's sensor. By skillfully using your aperture, you can take beautiful shots with excellent exposure. Also, using this simple hole you can adjust the background blur.

How to adjust the aperture on a camera? The aperture is designated by the letter f, next to which there are always numbers. So, to open the aperture, you need to set a lower number, and to close it, you need to do exactly the opposite.

Now let's talk about the connection between the aperture and the depth of field. Everything here is extremely simple: an open aperture means a shallow depth of field. Closed gives greater depth of field.

The maximum aperture value in a camera directly depends on the lens of your camera. Some allow you to set the aperture to 2.0 or even 1.2. True, such values ​​will complicate your work.

How to determine depth of field? Of course, there are various formulas by which you can calculate the ideal depth of field, but we recommend using an online calculator.

Focal length

How to reduce depth of field? Increase your lens focal length!

Given: Aperture value 8.0, object at a distance of two meters.

To summarize: if you need to slightly blur the background while maintaining the same aperture value, simply use a long lens.

Distance to object

Here, shallow depth of field is achieved by the distance between you and your subject. The closer, the shallower the depth. How to increase depth of field? It's simple - move away from the object.

As you might have guessed, shallow depth of field blur in macro photography will present some challenges. If we have a focal length of 60 mm, an aperture value of f/22 and a distance to the object, for example, fifteen centimeters, then the resulting depth of field will be 0.33 cm, that is, only 3.3 mm.

Lens depth of field

In fact, only long depth of field lenses with a good lens (such as Canon's "L" series) can provide good sharpness in all conditions. For example, the Canon 24-105 L IS and Canon 600 f4 L IS provide excellent clarity even at f/4.

Depth of field effect

You can also select an object in a photograph during processing. Any, even the simplest editor has a blur brush. Take a brush and carefully, gently blur the desired areas. This way you can create a more artistic effect and be able to use your imagination to your heart's content.

Conclusion

We hope that now you will not have any difficulties with decreasing or increasing the depth of field, and you can easily set the desired combination of aperture value, distance from the camera to the subject and focal length.

In order to simplify this procedure, many discrete lenses are equipped with a special scale, with which you can easily check the depth of field and harmoniously select shooting parameters.

A photograph in which the foreground and background look equally clear is not always pleasing to the eye. Typically, the effect of verisimilitude is achieved when objects in the foreground are in focus and those in the background are slightly blurred.

Photographers set depth of field by adjusting the lens - the diameter of the hole that allows light to pass through. The smaller the aperture, the greater the depth of field - hence, the sharper the image. With a large aperture, only the central part of the frame remains in focus.

Blur filters in Photoshop are useful for making gradual changes. depth of field in photoshop within one photo. In particular, the Lens Blur filter, combined with a black-and-white gradient in the alpha channel, allows you to create a smooth transition from a sharp foreground to a blurred background. The main thing is to determine the focal center, after which all areas indicated in the alpha channel by the same shade of gray will be in focus. The rest will be blurred depending on the color of the gradient that corresponds to them.

Similar publications:

• How to increase depth of field in Photoshop
• Simulating depth of field

Let's open the original photo.

Let's go to the "Channels" palette and create a new channel by clicking on the second icon from the right at the bottom of the "Channels" palette. The channel "Alpha 1" (default name) will appear and the entire image will be filled with black.

Let's turn on the visibility of the composite RGB channel - click on the "eye" of this channel, the image will be filled with red. Press the "D" key to set the default foreground and background colors.

Select the linear "Gradient" tool (G), from the foreground to the background.

Hold down the Shift key and draw a gradient from the far part of the image to the front, i.e. from the part of the picture that will be blurry to the part of the picture that will remain clear.

We get this result - the part of the image that will be blurred is filled with red.

Click on the blue field of the composite RGB channel.

Go to " Filter - Blur - Shallow depth of field blur...".

We set the values ​​of all sliders to zero (with the exception of “Isohelia” - we leave it at default), click on the black arrow to the right of the “Source” field and select the previously created channel “Alpha 1”.

Without closing the filter window, move the mouse cursor to the photo and click in the place where the focal center will be.

Automatic slider " Blur focal length" will move by the amount corresponding to the previously selected point on the image (where we clicked).

Move the “Radius” slider to the right and achieve the optimal level of image blur from your point of view. Slider " Blur focal length"Adjust the focal center. Press the "Yes" button.