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Reducing depth of field (DOF)


testerp

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Hello.

I have searched and search on how to reduce depth of field in a digital photograph. The closest I could find was this blurry tutorial. I couldn't keep up with the video:

http://tutorials.downloadroute.com/video-131836.html

Can someone explain to me what the video is showing or tell me how make a shallower depth of field using paint.net?

Thanks.

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The video shows the Lasso Select tool being used

to make various selections of the background.

The selections have blur applied to them.

The flower in the foreground remains

always unselected, so it never gets blurred.

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The video shows the Lasso Select tool being used

to make various selections of the background.

The selections have blur applied to them.

The flower in the foreground remains

always unselected, so it never gets blurred.

Actually it looks more like the Lasso Select Tool selects the flower then the selection is INVERTED, then blur is added.

The next steps are unclear because it looks like they are selecting portions of the blurred background and doing something to it. Hmmmm.

Also, is there a trick/method to accurately selecting a subject with Lasso? I can't seem to trace the outline of my subject as precisely as I would like.

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Actually it looks more like the Lasso Select Tool selects the flower then the selection is INVERTED, then blur is added.

Yes, that is the first of the various selections of the background.

The next steps are unclear because it looks like they are selecting portions of the blurred background and doing something to it.

Additional overlapping selections are blurred at low radius.

If too heavy a blur is applied at one time to a single selection,

the border of the selection will be visible.

Also, areas of the background that are more distant can be

given more blurring than nearer parts of the background.

Also, is there a trick/method to accurately selecting a subject with Lasso? I can't seem to trace the outline of my subject as precisely as I would like.

Click on the Lasso Select icon, then in the toolbar, change Selection Mode to Add (union).

Zoom in and make a series of smaller overlapping lasso selections.

Edited by Sarkut
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Additional overlapping selections are blurred at low radius.

If too heavy a blur is applied at one time to a single selection,

the border of the selection will be visible.

Also, areas of the background that are more distant can be

given more blurring than nearer parts of the background.

What tool would be used to select the "additional overlapping sections"?

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Also, is there a trick/method to accurately selecting a subject with Lasso? I can't seem to trace the outline of my subject as precisely as I would like.

Zoom in and make a series of smaller overlapping lasso selections.

Is the person (in the video linked to in my original post) tracing around the outline of the flower or is he/she just getting close to the outline/border?

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Is the person (in the video linked to in my original post) tracing around the outline of the flower or is he/she just getting close to the outline/border?

They are tracing the outline of the flower closely, at least initially.

The cursor for the Lasso Select tool is not registering

properly in the video capture, so it is misleading.

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I have read about how other software is used to create a shallower depth of field.

Many of them do it with something called Layers.

Do you think the Lasso method as shown in the video in the first post would be more effective than the Layer method?

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What advantages does using Layers have? More control or is it quicker?

P.S. Any idea why I am no longer receiving notification of replies to this thread??

It says:

You are currently receiving email notification of replies
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This:

This could help. d.a says it fakes a smaller depth of field.

Tilt-shifting, or how to shrink a city in five easy steps!

I don't want your money. Donate it to Paint.Net.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The tilt shift tutorial refers to TRUE BLUR effect.

trueblur.jpg

I don't have it in my recent version of paint.net. Does anyone know which blur is closest to True Blur? Was it replaced by something?

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Nevermind. Those steps don't create a shallow depth of field for a photo in which you have one subject that must remain in focus. It merely creates a gradient of focus/unfocus.

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Have a look at this tutorial: Applied Distance Blur (using Alpha Masking). Any use?

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Here's what I got.

dofpng01.png

What was done here was to:

Use the Lasso Select tool in Add(union) mode, select the blossoms and cut, paste into a new layer.

Do the same to the stem sections.

You should now have three layers.

Blossoms on top, stems in the middle, and on the bottom the original with a big hole in it.

Apply Feather Object at a radius of 4 to each layer.

Apply AA's Assistant at default to the top layer.

==========================================

In the Layers window, remove the checkmarks from the upper two layers, and click on the bottom layer.

==========================================

Effects > Distort > Frosted Glass

Settings:

12.00

0.00

8

Effects > Blurs > Gaussian Blur @ radius of 12

Adjustments > Transparency @100 Opacity

=======

Repeat the three steps above twice more to begin blurring the background while healing the hole.

For additional blurring of the background use Unfocus blur.

==========================================

The stem layer can be blurred using Gaussian Blur.

==========================================

The blossoms can be blurred selectively with the Smudge plugin.

Use a soft brush, size 60 and/or larger, strength around 35.

Position the brush, go mouse-button down, and jiggle slightly in place.

The more jiggling, the more blur.

===================================

Feather Object and Transparency are plugins in the BoltBait pack.

AA's Assistant is in the dpy plugin pack.

Smudge is in the pyrochild pack.

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Sarkut, how long would you say it took you to make the changes to the above picture?

Also, I see that you used Gaussian Blur for one part of the pic and Unfocus Blur for another part. How did you determine which blur to use? As a newbie I would have probably just chosen one type of blur.

Thanks.

Edited by testerp
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