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DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> Soft Focus
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 10/14/2005 03:38:06 PM · #1
Does anyone know what soft focus is and how you can use it to enhance a photograph?
 10/14/2005 03:44:12 PM · #2
Soft focus puts a dreamy or glowing effent to your picture. I haven't done it in a long time but it can be very usefull for wedding ports and such.
 10/14/2005 03:44:17 PM · #3
.

Message edited by author 2005-10-15 00:22:09.
 10/14/2005 03:49:51 PM · #4
Here is another with a different feel.





Message edited by author 2005-10-14 16:06:55.
 10/14/2005 03:52:10 PM · #5
Thanks for the examples. Do either of you have a copy of the same pic without soft focus to compare against? Thanks again.
 10/14/2005 03:54:46 PM · #6
Sounds suspiciously like you're working on a school project?
 10/14/2005 03:56:42 PM · #7
Nope. Just new to photography and looking for some help.
 10/14/2005 04:02:51 PM · #8
I put up a comparison. But had to add USM because the original was soft.
 10/14/2005 04:05:58 PM · #9
Take a look here at the Soft Focus challenge.

Message edited by author 2005-10-14 16:06:10.
 10/14/2005 04:45:49 PM · #10
Here's a tutorial on achieving this effect in Photoshop.

Message edited by author 2005-10-14 16:46:14.
 10/14/2005 06:46:28 PM · #11
Soft focus effects can dramatically alter the mood of portraits. Before digital post-processing, the way to do this was to use a lens that was undercorrected for spherical aberration. This gives that beautiful "glow" to skin and other highlights, while retaining some sharp detail.
Soft focus is even easier to achieve in post-processing, and I'd recommend this approach as opposed to using a special lens (like the Canon 135/2.8 Soft Focus or some older manual-focus glass). The goal is to achieve that soft look while retaining some sharp detail. The photo should NOT look OOF.
Here's a simple recipe that can be tweaked to your taste:
- Duplicate the base layer
- Apply a gaussian blur to th eduplicate (top) layer. Try a radius of 4px to start
- Reduce the opacity of the blurred layer to about 30-45% (to taste).

Optional but recommended:
- Add a layer mask to the blurred layer
- With a large, soft brush, at about 10% opacity, paint on th emask to bring back sharpness on the eyes and lips.

The above technique can produce some absolutely outstanding results. Try using more than one blur layer, with different masks and blur radii, for instance create a second blur layer with a larger blur radius and higher opacity, but limited to the outer portions of the photo.
 10/14/2005 10:22:19 PM · #12
Thank you to everyone for responding. This has been a very imformative thread.

Originally posted by kirbic:

Here's a simple recipe that can be tweaked to your taste:
- Duplicate the base layer
- Apply a gaussian blur to th eduplicate (top) layer. Try a radius of 4px to start
- Reduce the opacity of the blurred layer to about 30-45% (to taste).

Optional but recommended:
- Add a layer mask to the blurred layer
- With a large, soft brush, at about 10% opacity, paint on th emask to bring back sharpness on the eyes and lips.


This is great! Thank you so much for the advice. I use GIMP and this technique seems to work step for step in it as well. Thanks again.
 10/14/2005 11:14:55 PM · #13
Mostly seen in wedding portraits.
10/15/2005 12:21:00 AM · #14
My brother took this photo of our cousin with some kind of film camera many years ago ...

10/15/2005 01:06:56 AM · #15
..........usually soft focus is a standard technique in lots of wedding photography as faidoi previously mentioned, but also effective in portraits and landscape. Lots of good work by photographers on dpc and elsewhere use the technique. I find it interesting and purchased a special lens (Canon 135 f2.8 soft focus), which has an adjustment for more or less softness built into it..... here are some of my efforts with that lens:





It is a technique that goes in and out of fashion in the history of photography - and never seems to completely to dominate nor to disappear, though efforts by detractors such as the f64 group and promoters like portrait photographers have both tried. I like the effect for some shots but not others. Older women usually like it because it can hide a lot wrinkles.
 10/15/2005 07:35:13 AM · #16
If you have PS, there are also preset actions that you can download and use.

//www.atncentral.com/download.htm
 10/15/2005 12:46:51 PM · #17
Originally posted by undieyatch:
...I find it interesting and purchased a special lens (Canon 135 f2.8 soft focus), which has an adjustment for more or less softness built into it..... here are some of my efforts with that lens:


Those are very nice. I like them better than the post processing filters that simulate soft focus (or maybe it's just that I don't know how to use those filters worth a crap). There is a soft feel, but retains enough detail to not look cloudy or blurry.

Thanks for sharing those!
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