Background blurring

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FB101

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Has anybody tried the background blurring technique presented on the blog? I am no PS expert but it's pretty easy to follow and I gave it a try on a couple shots. The first one was my first attempt, probably not the best example as I probably would be better off cloning out the bottom branch, but I wanted to see if I could make it look less intrusive and it worked (but it is still too intrusive; i also increased contrast in the darker area of the critter so not exactly apples to apples comparison but close).

The second one really sold me on the technique, it's very subtle on the downsized jpg but on the full size file it really eliminated that nervous bokeh typical of the Tamron 150/600 G2. The selection of the subject is what takes time otherwise it is very easy to do.

Has anybody else tried and can share before / after to show what's possible?


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I did another last night with slightly more aggressive settings - that's probably as far as I'd go and I might put back a bit more noise in the background. The subject definitely pops out better though.

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Thanks for the link. Yes, slightly dated and not quite as easy as newer versions of PS. I have a Sony 200-600 lens (often shooting at f/9 with 1.4 TC) so I do get less bokeh and this technique works well.
 
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There is also a method that creates a DOF blur in PS. It is more complicated but works well in certain situations. Phlearn site has a video on how to do this.
 
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