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Fake Bokeh

Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about bokeh and its history

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There’s so much we can argue about when we talk about bokeh: whether we like it or not, when and how should it be used, what’s “good” and what’s “bad” bokeh… In fact, different people even pronounce it differently. Still, it’s a fact that bokeh has become an integral part of photography talk and photography itself.

But how did we get there? What exactly is bokeh, when did it become a part of photography and how did it become so important? In this fantastic video, Simon of Simon’s utak guides you through the history of bokeh and everything you’ve ever wanted to know about it.

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How to simulate large aperture depth of field outdoors in Photoshop with depth maps

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Recently we showed you a tutorial from Unmesh at PiXImperfect on using the Irix Blur tool in Photoshop to simulate a shallow depth of field in the studio. That technique can also be applied to headshots on location, too, but when you’ve got varying degrees of depth throughout your scene, with multiple planes at different levels of depth, it’s not the easiest to work with.

In this video, Colin Smith at photoshopCAFE shows us a different technique for simulating depth of field effects in Photoshop CC that solves that very problem. His technique allows you to easily blur different parts of the image by different amounts based on a depth map – which he also shows us how to make.

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DPTH simulates fake bokeh and depth of field effects with any phone

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While the fake depth of field look on smartphones might not be everybody’s cup of tea, they’re definitely very popular. And while they’ve improved in quality and believability a lot over the last few years, they’re still not quite as good as you can get with a real large sensor camera like a DSLR or mirrorless.

But what if you’re running an older phone with a single camera and no depth sensor that doesn’t have built-in fake bokeh? While most new phones these days do offer some kind of fake depth of field effects, there are still many phones out there that don’t. DPTH may be the answer.

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Apple makes a Bokeh commercial, uses “bokeh” as a verb and pronounces it wrong

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“Bokeh” is a Japanese word describing the aesthetic quality of the blur in out-of-focus areas of photos. And as we all know, it’s a noun. Well, Apple decided to play with language a bit in its latest ad and turn “bokeh” into a verb. Oh, and the ladies in the ad are pronouncing it wrong as well.

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Samsung used my DSLR photo to fake their phone’s “portrait mode”

Earlier this year, Samsung was busted for using stock photos to show off capabilities of Galaxy A8’s camera. And now they did it again – they used a stock image taken with a DSLR to fake the camera’s portrait mode. How do I know this, you may wonder? Well, it’s because Samsung used MY photo to do it.

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Samsung brings dual-cam “bokeh” effect and low light shooting to cheaper phones

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The dual camera system is still relatively new and it’s mainly integrated into high-end phones. However, Samsung will soon enable dual camera features even in cheaper smartphones. The company has introduced ISOCELL Dual image sensors and proprietary software for achieving bokeh effect and low light shooting.

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How to make your own DIY magic bokeh balls with your printer

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Making custom bokeh for your lenses can be a fun project. Usually, photographers do it by crudely cutting shapes out of a piece of black card and taping it to the end of our lens. But this method doesn’t allow for a lot of detail or intricacy. There’s also the Bokeh Masters Kit, which comes with some interesting laser cut custom shapes, and a few spare discs to make your own.

But whether you make your own from scratch, or use the Bokeh Masters Kit, there is another way to make your own custom bokeh designs. This method from photographer Micael Widell uses sheets of transparencies along with a printer to create his custom shapes. And in this video, he shows you how he does it.

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Fake bokeh is finally here for all iPhone 7 Plus owners

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iOS10.1 is here, and there are a couple of big photo related bits of news. First up, the fake depth of field effect is here. Love it or hate it, if you have an iPhone 7 Plus, you’ve got it. “Portrait” mode has met a mixed reception. Most don’t see it as a serious tool, although it may help to improve your iPhone-shot Instagram photos.

The feature has been available to Beta users for a little while now, and we showed you some side-by-side comparisons not too long ago. Now, it’s available to all. Portrait mode images don’t look too bad on an iPhone screen. We’ll probably see quite a few images shot with the feature popping up on social media in the coming weeks. I would expect the effect to fall apart pretty quickly on big prints, though.

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