isolate closeups

[gisdude]

Hi all. I'm an avg PS user, but a novice photographer. I am trying to get an affect of having a closeup of a person and it makes the background blurred - so you have a closeup that is sharp and crisp, but the background is faded out - slightly.

I know my little Nikon Coolpix is just a beginner's camera, but do you need a higher end camera for this effect? Or can PS do this?

Thx all

[Politik]

A PS can usuaalllyy do. Try zooming in all the way on the camera and then getting as close to the person as you can to get the shot you want... Also, try setting it to portrait mode. The key here is to use a large aperture (f/2.8 or so) and then zoom in to the person. This effect is created by zoom + large aperture + camera subject distance. Its much easier on an SLr because you can control all these aspects better.


In photoshop, you can select the person and cut them out and then run a lens blur on the background layer

[gisdude]

Thanks man!!! That was exactly what I was looking for!

[wileec]

Many p&s cameras are not capable of providing the kind of separation you are desiring due to the smallness of the aperture - but the suggestions above can help you to get most you may be able to from your camera. Also, I would add one more. If you have Aperture Priority mode, you can set it as low as it will go, and that may also help.

[Edited on 10/10/2009 by wileec]