Author Topic: Using slective masks (Read 3543 times)

rjmiz · « **on:** May 05, 2007, 17:48 »

In a new technique I've been developing, I have been experimenting
with selective "focus" and selective "Lighting"

Basically this involves taking a minimum of 3 images all playing with DOF
by 1 shot wide open, second half way, and last the very smallest f stop.

Focus on all 3 remains the same. in this example it's the leaf and bud closest to the lens.
All 3 images are brought into one Photoshop image, so now I have 3 layers.
f22 on top
f8 middle
f4 bottom

I start by creating a Layer mask hide all on the top 2
Then I selectively reveal what I want to show on the layer below.

I do a curves adjustment on the bottom layer if I have to.

The first image is the leaves at f22 at 0.4 seconds
the second image is the final image when completed

sharply_done · « **Reply #1 on:** May 06, 2007, 00:30 »

I don't quite understand what it is you are trying to do here.

From a technical point of view, you're breaking two very hard rules: never shoot wide open, and never shoot fully closed. I try to stick to the 'sweet spot' of my lenses (open 2 or 3 stops = f/5.6 or f/8) and position myself to have the desired amount of lens blur (by using a shorter or longer focal length). This seems to me much simpler than making three images and combining them in photoshop.

On top of that, I'm curious as to why you introduced a purple spot into the image.

rjmiz · « **Reply #2 on:** May 06, 2007, 02:39 »

"I don't quite understand what it is you are trying to do here."

Gee...I'm sorry you don't understand. I wish I could explain it better.
I too an baffled at your explanation. (hard fast rules?) and sweet spot. The sweet spot would not achive my results.
I will one say write a tutorial and perhaps send it to you.

What I might say though is that the blurring is selective, and NOT uniform.
Your suggestion does not allow for artistic license to blur only that which I want blurred.

The purple thing? Hmmm I don't know where that came from! It can be easily removed though.

snem · « **Reply #3 on:** May 06, 2007, 04:42 »

Perhaps you can achieve the same result from the f22 shot and blurring what you want to blur.
Regards

sbonk · « **Reply #4 on:** May 06, 2007, 12:14 »

I recently read about this type of technique in Versace's book "Welcome to Oz". I plan on trying it myself. Is the lighting on the main leaf structure that you made standout all from one of the 3 exposures or did you use a lighting effect in PS?

If this were mine, I think I would darken the very lower right corner leaf structure a bit. On my monitor, it appears about as bright as the one that is the COI.

madelaide · « **Reply #5 on:** May 06, 2007, 17:03 »

I can understand the use of this technique if you have objects at different distances that you would not get focused in just one shot without getting a lot more in focus too. I'm not sure this is the case in this example, but I get the idea.

Regards,
Adelaide

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Author Topic: Using slective masks (Read 3543 times)

rjmiz

sharply_done

rjmiz

snem

sbonk

madelaide

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