376
IMAGE: FIR0002/FLAGSTAFFOTOS, LICENSED UNDER GNU 1.2 (EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/GFDL)
Iris Blur: yes and no
1
Choose Filter > Blur > Iris Blur and this is what you’ll see:
an ellipse appears centered over your photograph. There’s
also a Panel, but frankly you rarely need to touch it.
4
Dragging the four inner white dots marks the falloff
between blurred and unblurred regions. You can
also hold O A as you drag the dots to move them
independently of each other.
7
First, make the layer into a Smart Object (if it’s a
Background layer, you’ll need to turn it into a real layer
first). Choose Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set as much blur
as you want.
P
HOTOSHOP CS6 INTRODUCED
three new Blur filters, found together at
the top of the Filter > Blur menu. They’re Field
Blur, Iris Blur, and Tilt-Shift.
All three filters are designed to simulate
depth-of-field effects. The Tilt-Shift technique
is one that became briefly popular a couple of
years ago, as it allowed landscape shots to look
like model railways through innovative use of
high and low blurring in the image. These days,
though, it’s seen as a rather hackneyed look.
The Iris Blur filter attempts to reproduce
the effect of the subject of a photograph
remaining sharp, while everything else is
knocked out of focus. It’s a good idea, but
the problem is that it’s limited to elliptical
selections. Although the controls are well
thought-out, the end result is never quite as
good as it should be.
To contrast the new filter, we’ll look at how
to achieve a similar effect – and achieve it
better – using the existing Gaussian Blur filter.
Iris Blur: the manual
13
Hyper realism
SHORTCUTS
MAC WIN BOTH
377
HOT TIP
Although I’ve
been somewhat
dismissive of
the Tilt-Shift
filter, it’s still fun
to experiment
with. Try it on any
landscape shot,
and see how by
closing up the
focus it produces
a strong model
effect. It won’t win
you any prizes for
originality, but it is
still an interesting
and entertaining
effect to play
around with.
2
Drag the center dot to move the blur where you want it,
and it will update in real time. You can also drag on the
white/black circle in the center to set the amount of blur.
5
In this case, we want the lion in the upper left to be
partly in focus as well. And the Iris Blur filter allows us
to do this: click on the lion, and a second blur ellipse appears,
which can be manipulated just like the first.
8
When you apply a filter to a Smart Object, it
automatically appears with a mask built in. Painting on
the mask with a soft-edged brush allows us to hide the blur
effect from, in this case, the lions on the right.
3
Dragging the handle in the upper right makes the ellipse
more like a rounded rectangle: this is the only way to
change the shape of the blur radius.
6
The problem is, lions aren’t elliptical objects. Unless you
work exclusively with eggs, Frisbees and hubcaps, you’re
going to find that however much you tweak the blur, it won’t
ever quite match the shape of your foreground object.
9
By working with a brush set to a low opacity, we’re able
to customize the blur to look exactly as we want it –
making it match the outline of the lions, and revealing just as
much sharpness as we want. A much better solution.
approach often produces better results
How to Cheat in Photoshop CC
..................Content has been hidden....................
You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.