Use the Lens Blur filter to soften cluttered backgrounds to create a realistic depth-of-field effect, with shallow James Paterson
A blurred background can be a beautiful thing; it helps to focus attention on your subject and gives images a polished, photographic look that sets them apart from snaps and smartphone pics. However, it’s not always easy to achieve the effect in-camera. Luckily, when the background is too sharp and cluttered for your liking, you can mimic the blur.
But first it’s worth spending a moment to consider how sharpness and softness works in an optical sense, as this makes it easier to fake the fall-off in Photoshop. When we focus on a point in a scene, there’s an area of sharpness that stretches out in front of and behind that point – about one-third in front, two-thirds behind – with a gradual fall-off to softness either side of our sharp plane of focus.
Denne historien er fra September 2017-utgaven av PhotoPlus : The Canon Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 2017-utgaven av PhotoPlus : The Canon Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
TELEPHOTO ZOOM LENSES
If you're fired up by all of this year's sporting activities, here are the best telephoto zooms for Canon EOS R system and DSLR cameras. Grab the action!
SIGMA 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN IC
This is Sigma's first Canon RF mount lens - and the six-year wait has been worth it for this pocket-sized powerhouse
Create cinematic stunners
Master the tools in DPP to deliver drama and a cinematic feel for powerful images
Operation: Night Hunter
Anthony was out until 2am photographing Tawny Owls hunting for supper in the dark set myself the target of photographing Tawny Owls at night.
Fix 'flat' autumn images in Lightroom
If your images aren't showing the full range of autumnal hues, here's one way to fix them, says Sean McCormack
The art of copying art
James Paterson shows you how to use your Canon gear to capture artwork and paintings the right way with simple camera and lighting skills
Searching for snakes
Jim travels to Thailand in search of snakes and the newly classified Tenasserim Pit Viper - all in 100% humidity!
ELLIE ROTHNIE
Lauren Scott catches up with the awardwinning wildlife pro photographer Ellie Rothnie. She’s now a Canon Ambassador, and creates content while her photography still reveals stunning skill and fieldcraft...
YORKSHIRE'S DELIGHTFUL DALES
This month we pair up landscape pro Paul Grogan with PhotoPlus reader Stephen for a photo tour around the picturesque Yorkshire Dales
Letting go with composition
How a walk to Side Pike in the Lake District changed my approach and my attitude to using pure instinct for image construction