Photoshop New Depth Blur Feature Is Mind-blowing

Summary

Adobe Photoshop's 2022 update introduces a significantly improved Depth Blur feature within Neural Filters, enabling users to achieve a bokeh effect with greater control and without relying on cloud processing.

Abstract

The Depth Blur feature in Adobe Photoshop's Neural Filters has been enhanced in the 2022 version, allowing for on-device processing that is faster and independent of internet connectivity. This feature emulates the shallow depth of field and bokeh effects typically achieved with high-aperture lenses, offering users a level of control similar to iPhone's Portrait Mode but with more customization options. Users can easily toggle the effect on or off and adjust settings such as Focal Range and Focal Distance to fine-tune the depth of focus in their images. While the feature is user-friendly and promising, it may produce imperfections on fine edges, like hair, when the filter strength is maxed out. Despite these limitations, the advancements in the Depth Blur filter indicate a strong potential for future improvements as machine learning technology evolves.

Opinions

The author acknowledges the major upgrade in the Depth Blur feature, highlighting the shift from cloud to on-device processing for faster performance.
The feature is praised for its ease of use, making it accessible for beginners with a single button toggle.
Customization options, such as adjusting the Focal Range and Focal Distance, are seen as beneficial for achieving the desired depth effect.
The author notes that while the AI-driven filter is impressive, it is not perfect and can show imperfections on fine details at maximum strength.
There is an optimistic view on the future of the feature, suggesting that as machine learning advances, the AI's ability to refine edges and handle complex details will improve.
The author predicts that the enhancements in depth blur effects will soon be commonplace in smartphone photography, particularly on social media platforms like Instagram.

Photoshop’s New Depth Blur Feature Is Mind-blowing

Depth blur feature is part of the Neural Filters that is available in Adobe Photoshop 2021 and is greatly improved in Photoshop 2022. Depth blur is a filter that simulates the background blur or bokeh effect that you get from using a lens with a fast aperture.

In some ways, this feature is similar to how iPhone use “Portrait Mode” to create depth blur, only with more control.

In comparison with the previous version of the filter, the major upgrade allows the processing on-device instead of the cloud. That allows for a faster processing and less dependent on your internet connection.

This filter can also be handy for beginners because it is accessible by a single button toggle. The filter can be found under Filter > Neural Filters

You can toggle the button on or off to activate or deactivate. It will take a couple of seconds for the AI to finish the processing. There are also other customization handles to adjust the effects strength and focal settings.

Focal Range: How much scene will be focused or captured.

Focal Distance: The distance between your subject from your camera lens.

Photo by the Author

You can play around these settings to achieve the final output that you want.

However, in some cases, maxed out filter strength will start to show some imperfections especially on very fine edges. This issue is more evident on finer details like in the hair of the image below.

Photo by the Author

Final thoughts

The depth blur filter is not perfect as the AI still struggle to refine edges like on hair or feather. However, the recent progress shows a strong promise. As machine learning gets more proficient, this can only get better.

Pretty soon photo sharing apps like Instagram will be filled with images with ridiculously shallow depth of field merely taken from a smartphone.