Faking the tilt-shift video look in Adobe Premiere Pro

Since the first tilt-shift timelapses started to appear online several years ago, it’s a look that’s been attempted, copied, and improved upon quite a bit.  Tilt-shift lenses, however, can be pretty expensive, and for something that you may only use occasionally, an expense you may not be able to justify.

As a consequence, the tilt-shift look of many videos is created in post.  In this video from VideoRevealed, Colin Smith shows us how we can quickly achieve the look in Adobe Premiere Pro.

Tilt-shift isn’t a look I try often, myself, but when I do, I tend to favour the Compound Blur effect in Adobe After Effects, as it offers a level of control not found in with simple masks.

But, sometimes, when you just need to get it done quickly, and getting the look you want is more important than technical accuracy, mask techniques can be very effective.

Colin shows us some of the different blur methods available in Premiere, and how each affects the image to get a different result.

Applying the technique to several pieces of footage using different blur methods, you really see how the type of blur can affect the mood of the footage, and how your eye gets drawn to parts of it differently.

Despite the ease with which it can be done these days, and the obvious advantages of being able to keyframe masks to animate the blur in post, I don’t see its use increasing in my own work, but it’s definitely a look that’s here to stay.

Have you used tilt-shift techniques with your stills or videos?  Do you do it in-camera with a tilt-shift or PC lens?  Or do you prefer to do it in post, and what methods do you use?  Let us know in the comments.

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