Comments on: Using Photoshop to Create the Illusion of Depth of Field with your Sports Photos

By: Robert

Robert — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:30:49 +0000

Interesting manipulation. However, faking photos becomes a character issue. After a while, no one values your photos because they are not sure of the authenticity. Sorry. Find something more useful to waster your time on.

By: Adrian in Bangkok

Adrian in Bangkok — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 08:44:23 +0000

okay….. Always amusing to see people go for each other online…very easy to do “online”…

Regarding the technique, it is not perfect…… but it is almost there.

Forget layers, just use masks with large amounts of feather…. different distances away from the subject need to have different levels of blur/feather, or it looks fake. (ie, the hedge in background, should be softer than the grass…and the grass near to the player should be as sharp as the player…

perhaps 3 or 4 levels for this shot……with practice it might take 10 mins in photoshop…

obviously it is best to shoot it right first….but sport is particularly hard if you dont have a fast lens. (eg, 300mm 2.8f, i am guessing the lens used was about 5.6f at 300mm)

By: hagen

hagen — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:01:56 +0000

gradient instead of painting

By: Martin Stepka

Martin Stepka — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:14:13 +0000

Let us focus in this discussion on the presented technique. If you like it, tell us why. If you do not like it, tell us what and why you do not like and eventually how would you improve on it. The latter may not be so pleasant, but sure can help. I believe that trying to stop people from having their opinions is pointless.

By: Jim Poor

Jim Poor — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:32:15 +0000

The “nice” people are doing more harm than good by spreading bad technique to those who don’t know any better.

By: kat

kat — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:13:36 +0000

Ok Jim, you win the game of “I Insist On Being Technically Correct Or I’m Going to Have a Hissy Fit”. But you lose at GETTING it. If you’re such a pro, why are you even bothering to read these tutorials that are meant for a different target audience than the one you seem to believe you belong in (are you going to correct my grammar now, too)? Where are all the nice people out there who understand the INTENTION of people trying to help others? (Don’t answer; you wouldn’t know.)

By: Jim Poor

Jim Poor — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:27:27 +0000

Actually the title has been edited from the original and is still incorrect as one is not creating the illusion of Depth of Field either, but rather the illusion of Shallow DoF or, if we REALLY want to stretch things bokeh.

By: kat

kat — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:39:10 +0000

My gosh people! Look at the TITLE of this article: Using Photoshop to Create the ILLUSION of Depth of Field. You nay-sayers seem to believe that there is only ONE way to do something. Well guess what: all roads lead to Rome. Lots of ways to accomplish the same or similar effect. This is one way. You may prefer another. And obviously, getting DOF the way you want it in-camera is the best way, but we don’t always have the luxury of time to “get it right” especially with sports photography. Get the shot! Period! Then work it in post-production. Not enough DOF? Then use this technique, or your own. But stop criticizing someone who’s trying to help! As for the “fakeness” of the example – I don’t think this image was worked to win a contest or for print publication – I think it was done fairly quickly just to show how it’s done. Who cares if it’s not perfect. Sheesh! Flamers, go home. Appreciate that someone is trying to help.

By: Natalia

Natalia — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:57:34 +0000

Look bad, honestly :(

By: Flores

Flores — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:15:25 +0000

What is the purpose or erasing the blur image in background copy layer? We just change the opacity of the layer rather than erase it.

I suggest you have to smooth the edge of the player whether thru ‘blur tool’ or play with select/modify/smooth or feather, or right click and play with ‘refine edge.’ etc.

Thanks!