using software to create shallow depth of field

R

ryaninoz

Well-known member
I have a 300, I also have a Canon DSLR. More and more clients are wanting the DSLR - mostly agencies who like the look. Personally I hate shooting DSLR from an operator point of view but you can get some nice results with the shallow DOF. When it comes to my own work i.e not agency driven I always use the 300. I was looking at some after effects plugins that allow you to alter the DOF in a shot. Has anyone used them with footage from the 300 and could that work to give me shallow DOF with 300 footage - that way I could get the benefits of the 100 mb AVC Intra codec, better colour and resolution and tweak the DOF so the clients get that shallow DOF look everyone is obsessed with.

I have a love hate relationship with DSLR's, I wish Panasonic would release a large sensor P2 camera ! I am tempted to get a sony f3 but I am holding out for a Panasonic option that is better than the AF100.
 
Not quite sure what you mean ? I have a 300, a 500 won't be my next purchase I'm looking at an f3 or an epic. Are you saying the software creates the same DOF characteristics of a hpx500 ? I did use a 500 recently and they are a nice camera but the difference in resolution in wide shots between it and the 300 was noticeable. If I can trick hpx300 footage into looking like it has a shallow DOF that might satisfy some clients. I've used masks and blur tools before but it doesn't look like a shallow DOF more like a matt with a blur filter. Does the software realistically isolate the subject from the b/g ? or are there tell tale signs that its some kind of mask. Thanks for any advice.
 
there are ways to do that. First you have to create Depth map mask . You can use light level, assuming brightest is in focus, darkest blurry.
Some camera systems use Infrared to create the depth map or sterescopic dual camera (or camera array)
When you got that mask built from the depth map, you just blur more or less according the mask.
It is easy to do on static pictures.
But all that is usually in university labs where mad people have time and budget to experiment silly things. I doubt you could apply that
to real world where people ask simple tools.
 
Hallo! The only way to get a controlled depth of field in your footage inside After Effects is to use a depth map in combination with blur effects that supports a depth map such as AE Lens Blur or AE Compound Blur. You can generete your depth map using a third party plug-in from DIGIEFFECTS call Depth :
http://www.digieffects.com/product/depth

But you have to do a lot of roto work. You have to manually separate the elements in your scene,the foreground,the background etc.If you have a static shot is not a big problem but if you have a camera movement during the shot you have to roto the footage inside Mocha and than use the Mocha Shape plug-in to import your roto as a matte inside After Effects and generate your map with the Depth plug-in...it's a long process!
 
Thank you, I thought that might be the case. No such thing as a free lunch I guess ! I wish the 'deep depth of field look' would sweep through soon and my clients would start requesting that.
 
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