Depth of Field
One of the ways to add dimension and realism to your images is to add a depth of field effect to your images. Depth of field is where you have a part of your image that is completely in focus. Then, anything in front or behind that point in the image is slightly blurred. This tricks the eye into thinking that you are focused on a point in space, and everything else is spatially distorted to the extent where your eye perceives depth. Okay, that was a mouthful, but in plain English, your eye thinks there is depth where there really isn’t any. However, the right amount of blur has to be applied in order for the effect to be realistic. That’s where Photoshop comes in. In the video below, I show you how to use Photoshop to create a depth of field effect. With the right photo, this depth of field effect can have a lot of impact.
Adding Depth Field With Photoshop
Photoshop recently added a new set of filters in Photoshop to add realistic photographic blur filters to your images. The great things about these new filters is that you have a lot of control over them. They have a lot of points and menus to have the ultimate amount of control over your blur effect. In the video above, I show you how to add multiple blur points, as well as how to control them to get just the right amount of blur. The trick is to make some things recede, and to keep some elements as crystal clear as possible. The result is an image that looks like you are focused on a specific area in space, which calls a lot of attention to your subject.
How did your image turn out?
Did you run into any problems creating your depth of field effect? If so, feel free to post your questions or thoughts in the comments section below. Using depth of field isn’t hard, and when you get that nailed down you should try Tilt Shift, too.
