Digital Camera World - UK (2019-12)

76 DIGITAL CAMERA^ DECEMBER 2019 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com

Discover hidden depths

Range Mask

As well as Auto Mask, there is a Range

Mask function that works on Luminance,

Color or, in an HEIC file, the Depth Mask.

In this photo you could use Color. From

the Range Mask menu, choose Color. Click

the Eyedropper in the range

mask and click on red of the

roof. It will remove the roof from

the mask. Use Amount to add or

subtract areas from this range.

epth of field is one of the main

elements in photos that you

can change to creative effect.

We often want an entire landscape

in focus, for example, but for

portraits, we may prefer the creamy look that

a wide aperture gives. Or perhaps we’d prefer

the opposite! Then, maybe, we’d love to be

able to decide after we’ve made the shot.

When the now-defunct Lytro Illium came out,

there was great interest in seeing this practically.

Lately, the idea has made a re-appearance via

portrait modes on the latest smartphones

Lightroom offers the ability to use the Depth

Mask from iPhone HEIC files for editing. You can

edit the foreground and background separately

using this mask, including the level of blur.

For stills cameras, there isn’t a real option

to do this in post without using Photoshop.

You can still achieve a passing resemblance to a

shallow depth of field inside Lightroom, however.

For the best results, start with a photo that was

shot with the whole scene in focus. It’ll also help

if you have a focal point that can be enhanced

with a shallower depth of field.

D

FUNDAMENTALS

FILE & VIDEO

Download the

disc: http://www.bit.ly/

dc223disc

After

Change the depth of field after you’ve taken the photo

Before

Sean

McCormack

Sean McCormack is

a photographer and

writer, based in Galway on

the west coast of Ireland.

He’s the author of The

Indispensable Guide

to Lightroom CC.