Image Processing ⇒ Learning the Tilt-Shift Blur Option in Photoshop CC 2018

[Charles Haacker]

We've been talking a ittle about this regarding Dave Chinn's Big Kahuna, where he has been trying to get a believable blur in the background. I happened upon a tutorial on this (the stuff about the tilt/shift blur starts about the halfway mark) and decided to try it. Here is my progress report:

This one is the original Lightroom adjusted image. The problem is that even shooting wide open my 1" sensor still carries the depth of field too deep into the background so my buddy here doesn't stand out as I would have liked.

So this one was my first somewhat clumsy attempt at the tilt/shift blur. I made a bunch'a misteaks so it looks phony as a 3-dollar bill, but I learned something in the process...

This one I just did. I think it's a lot better. The falloff from foreground to background is more believable (I hope) and I backed off the overall blur since I thought originally it was too much.

BUT DOES THIS FOOL THE EYE? (If you open these three in tabs and reduce the size to fit the screen you can toggle among them and see the effects.)

[minniev]

Thank you for sharing this Chuck, it's a technique I know I will find a good use for. M43 cameras have the mixed blessing and curse of holding LOTS in focus even at apertures of, let's say, 1.8. Sometimes I am trying to do exactly what you were trying to do here. You did it well, too, by the way.

[Bob Yankle]

A useful tool, Chuck, and you got better at this with a bit of muscle memory. I liked the wood sculpture as well. I would be tempted to play with its lighting values with a bit of texture to make it even more dramatic.

[Charles Haacker]

Thank you for sharing this Chuck, it's a technique I know I will find a good use for. M43 cameras have the mixed blessing and curse of holding LOTS in focus even at apertures of, let's say, 1.8. Sometimes I am trying to do exactly what you were trying to do here. You did it well, too, by the way.

Thanks, Min. Micro 4/3 sensors have a crop factor of 2 (my 1" has a crop factor of 2.7), so that's what, half the size of a full frame? So yeah, it's harder to get that blur or bokeh. I was pretty happy when I went up from a 1/1.7, but like everything else sometimes that goes-on-forever DOF was useful, sometimes not.

A useful tool, Chuck, and you got better at this with a bit of muscle memory. I liked the wood sculpture as well. I would be tempted to play with its lighting values with a bit of texture to make it even more dramatic.

Thanks Bob. I think I tend more to "straight" photography, a documentary approach. I love what you do (!!) and of course I have no compunction about changing or blurring a background or swapping a face, but I just can't seem to get into more creative PP. (Doesn't mean I won't... )

[davechinn]

We've been talking a ittle about this regarding Dave Chinn's Big Kahuna, where he has been trying to get a believable blur in the background. I happened upon a tutorial on this (the stuff about the tilt/shift blur starts about the halfway mark) and decided to try it. Here is my progress report:

This one is the original Lightroom adjusted image. The problem is that even shooting wide open my 1" sensor still carries the depth of field too deep into the background so my buddy here doesn't stand out as I would have liked.
01.jpg
So this one was my first somewhat clumsy attempt at the tilt/shift blur. I made a bunch'a misteaks so it looks phony as a 3-dollar bill, but I learned something in the process...
02.jpg
This one I just did. I think it's a lot better. The falloff from foreground to background is more believable (I hope) and I backed off the overall blur since I thought originally it was too much.
03.jpgBUT DOES THIS FOOL THE EYE? (If you open these three in tabs and reduce the size to fit the screen you can toggle among them and see the effects.)

Yes, I think #3 is believable Chuck !!! It's spot on to my eyes. Now I think its time to get back to the Big Kahuna. Thanks for the link to the tutorial.
Dave

[St3v3M]

I still find it amazing the things you can do it in post. It's as amazing as it is scary I guess. Thanks for explaining another tool! S-

[Charles Haacker]

Yes, I think #3 is believable Chuck !!! It's spot on to my eyes. Now I think its time to get back to the Big Kahuna. Thanks for the link to the tutorial.
Dave

You're welcome, Dave. See below...

I still find it amazing the things you can do it in post. It's as amazing as it is scary I guess. Thanks for explaining another tool! S-

You're welcome, Steve. As it happens I am getting ready to join the discussion on ethics in photography, and coming back to this image makes me think about the ethics of it. I wanted to better isolate and highlight the main subject, just as Dave does with his Big Kahuna. But my background was too sharp, and while sure there were ways I could have mitigated it in camera, probably best by moving back and using a longer focal length (I was already wide open at f/2.8), I didn't do that, but I have the tools and developing (no pun) skill to mitigate it in post. Do I have to tell every person who looks at the "shopped" picture that it's not how it first looked? As it happens I have the series up on my Flickr so it's "fully disclosed," but...

[St3v3M]

You're welcome, Steve. As it happens I am getting ready to join the discussion on ethics in photography, and coming back to this image makes me think about the ethics of it. I wanted to better isolate and highlight the main subject, just as Dave does with his Big Kahuna. But my background was too sharp, and while sure there were ways I could have mitigated it in camera, probably best by moving back and using a longer focal length (I was already wide open at f/2.8), I didn't do that, but I have the tools and developing (no pun) skill to mitigate it in post. Do I have to tell every person who looks at the "shopped" picture that it's not how it first looked? As it happens I have the series up on my Flickr so it's "fully disclosed," but...

I'm learning so much here and am always thankful when we help each other, thank you for that! And ethics you say? I'll have to look into that! S-