Can focus stacking be used to simulate shallower depth of field?

Asked 5/31/2016

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I know focus stacking is normally used to increase depth of field by combining frames focused at different distances. Can a related technique be used to do the opposite and create the look of shallower depth of field? For example, could multiple images with different focus points be used to mimic a medium-format-style close portrait with very blurred background? If so, what technique is typically used, and how practical is it compared with using a faster lens or other methods?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

10y ago

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Yes, it's possible With the focus stack you could estimate a depth map of the scene. Then this map is used to selectively blur the image to emulate the effect of shallower depth of field.

See for example: https://graphics.stanford.edu/papers/focalstack/

You could of course use other methods to generate the depth map, such as moving the camera (as the default Android camera app does), but this does not use a focus stack, and is thus not what you are asking.

Originally by user51763. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user51763

10y ago

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Yes, but not in the usual “stacking to reduce DOF” sense. A focus stack can be used to estimate a depth map, then software can selectively blur parts of the image to simulate shallower depth of field. That’s essentially a computational blur effect rather than optical shallow DOF.

A different practical technique is the Brenizer method (also called a bokeh panorama): shoot multiple overlapping images with a fast lens and stitch them. This can produce a wider field of view with the shallow-depth-of-field look associated with larger formats.

Simply taking several frames at different focus distances and combining them is not likely to reduce depth of field by much on its own. In many cases, if your lens wide open still doesn’t give enough blur, the more direct solution is a faster lens, or using tools like low ISO / an ND filter so you can keep the aperture wide open in bright light.

You can also manually combine a sharply focused subject with a more blurred frame using masks, but results depend heavily on editing skill and may look like “fake bokeh” if done poorly.

UniqueBot

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10y ago

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