Depth of field: Focus Fall-off with Layer Masks

[rajoe]

Depth of field: Focus Fall-off with Layer Masks

Sometimes you get the shot, sometimes you don't. In this scenario we follow a photo shot for a very specific use, and how the raw shot needed some manipulation to achieve what the designer envisioned.

We only had a few moments to grab the shot Each year this event presents nearly 100 trophies in assorted sizes to winners in the Technology Student Association annual competitions. We knew what we wanted in terms of a header image for the web site, but were only given a few moments to grab the shot. The concept was a tight shot of the trophies lined up, running off into oblivion. Working very quickly, we were able to grab these three shots
[Technology Student Association shots]

As expected, none of the shots really hit home. The left photo didn't really communicate the scope of the awards, so it was scrapped. The right photo had too much head-room, and the angle ran toward the bottom of the shot... scrap that one too. The only viable shot is the one centered, and it needed lots of work. Where to begin?

Since the goal was to make the row of trophies fall off into an out-of-focus oblivion, we turned to that task first. All the other retouching could be put on hold until the initial concept was proven.

NOTE THIS Step One: The Blur Layer

This step is easy, you've done it a hundred times. We needed to duplicate the layer to get a working copy of the image. Drag the layer to the "New Layer" icon at the bottom of the Layers Palette to generate a copy of the background.

Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur: was then applied to the layer, sliding the amount of blur higher and higher until we achieved the amount of blur we wanted. Now the entire layer was blurred.

[duplicate the layer, apply Gaussian blur, then create a layer mask]

NOTE THISStep Two: Masking the Blurred Layer

To create the depth of field, or "focus fall-off" we'll use a gradient in a layer mask.

1) Restore default colors (Tap "D")
2) Click the "Layer Mask" button on the bottom of the Layers Palette
3) Click the new "Mask" thumbnail next to the blurred layer thumbnail
      A double outline will validate that it is now active
4) Select the Gradient tool (Tap "G")
5) Drag with the Gradient tool from the right-hand to the left hand of the window.