tiltshift
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Google's new camera app brings Photo Sphere and Lens Blur to Android devices
While Google has continued to toss new features into the camera app shipped on its Nexus devices, many Android phones replace it with something else. But just as we revealed a few weeks ago, now it's available in the Play Store, ready to run on any phone or tablet using Android 4.4 KitKat. Beyond bits like Photo Sphere that we've seen before, Google is filling in the blanks on its new "Lens Blur" option. Meant to emphasize the subject while blurring the background for an impressive depth of field effect, it uses algorithms to simulate the large camera lens and aperture your phone or tablet doesn't actually have. Taking the photo requires an upward sweep to capture multiple images, used to estimate the depth of objects for a 3D map that lets the software re-render the photo later and blur specific items based on where it thinks they are. Google's Research Blog has more details on how it's all done, including the Lytro-like ability to change which object is in focus after you take the shot.
Instagram for Android updated with tilt-shift capabilities, all becomes well on Earth
Something tells us #teamiphone is going to adore this. Instagram has just updated its much-ballyhooed Android app, bringing the version to 1.1.0. What's new? Tilt-shift for "supported devices," enabling cameraphone shooters to add entirely too much blur to shots that could've used a tripod to begin with. We kid, we kid. But seriously, the download awaits in the source link.
Lensbaby Edge 80 Optic brings a slice of tilt-shift to your life (sample photos)
C'mon, admit it -- if you won one of many lotteries, you'd be purchasing a legitimate tilt-shift lens right after picking up a new Ferrari and buying a chocolate factory. Given that said scenario is highly unlikely to pan out, Lensbaby is stepping in to make the letdown a bit easier to stomach. The Edge 80 Optic is the latest in the outfit's growing Optic Swap system, which is compatible with the Composer Pro, Composer, Muse, Scout and Control Freak, and it's capable of transforming those bodies into "a tilt lens that delivers a slice of sharp focus through an image that falls off to a soft blur." There's a 12-blade adjustable aperture (f/2.8 through f/22), and when not shifted, it's fully capable of taking flat (read: standard) photographs. As the name implies, there's an 80mm focal length, but macro lovers should be aware that you'll need at least 17-inches to focus on your subject(s).We've been toying with one on our D3S over the past few days, and it certainly does what it says; moreover, it's far easier to justify at just $300. (For those unaware, dedicated T-S lenses can easily top $1,500.) And if you're already invested in the Optic Swap system, it makes even more sense. Granted, it takes some work to compose a shot. You'll need to rely on manual mode, and you'll need to tweak your ISO to match your desired aperture and available light. Leaving the ISO too high while using f/2.8 in broad daylight will result in white captures, while not boosting the ISO enough after dark will leave your shot murdered out. Once you've got your settings right, though, the lens couldn't be easier to operate, and the shift + lock mechanism is as smooth as butter. We threw together a gallery of our favorites taken recently in Hawaii and French Polynesia, so dive in below to see if this piece of kit is deserving of your attention.
iStopMotion adds tilt-shift effect to animation tool
For hobbyists and weekend filmmakers, playing around with stop motion and timelapse image capture is an enticing way to create memorable movies. On the Mac, the most user-friendly and accessible app for these projects is iStopMotion from Boinx. Starting at US$49 for the basic Home version, iStopMotion makes it easy to animate your furniture, Legos, kitchen items or anything else you happen to have lying about. In the 2.5 version of the product, released this week, Boinx has added one marquee feature that's going to be showing up in a lot of timelapse projects: tilt-shift. You've probably seen some spectacular videos using this effect, which simulates the fine control over focus that was traditionally available only with specialized lenses on still cameras. When the selective focus effect of lens tilt is applied to timelapse footage, the scene appears to be acted out in miniature (check out the work of directors Sam O'Hare and Keith Loutit for great examples). It took Jim Clark weeks of effort to create 30 seconds of tilt-shift music video footage a few years ago, but now you can do something similar on a tabletop. Boinx has also added compatibility with new Canon still camera models and a 'Send to iMovie' option in this version. In the Express and Pro versions of the app, color correction options are now included. Express, at $99, includes several additional features such as rotoscoping, a soundtrack and continuous capture; Pro, at $499, adds the option of full high-definition. Compatible cameras are listed here, and I've had good results with both an old iSight and an IPEVO p2v USB camera. You can see a video demo of 2.5 in the second half of this post. If you're a pro animator or effects artist and iStopMotion isn't powerful enough for your needs, you may want to check out Dragon Stop Motion; it's designed for professional work, with an interface and feature set to match. The $275 app can control lighting, shoot in 3D and more; it even comes with its own USB keypad for fast access to key commands. Happy animating!
Lensbaby rolls out Composer with Tilt Transformer kit for Micro Four Thirds, Sony NEX cameras (hands-on)
We've already gotten our hands on Lensbaby's basic Composer lens, but the company has now gone and expanded its bag of tricks even further with its new Composer with Tilt Transformer kit. The key bit there is the Tilt Transformer (also available separately), which can also accommodate any Nikon mount lens and tilt it up to twice the amount of standard tilt-shift lenses. Have a Panasonic Lumix G Micro System or Olympus PEN Micro Four Thirds camera? Then you can get the kit now for $350 or just the Tilt Transformer for $250 -- Sony NEX camera users will have to wait until October 28th to get in on the act. Full press release is after the break, and our hands-on from the Photokina show floor is just below. Enjoy. %Gallery-103089%
TUAW's Daily App: TiltShift Generator Free
I finally picked up an iPhone 4 last Friday, and one of the best things about the new handset is the beautiful shots I've taken with the camera. I'm not a professional photographer by any stretch, and people who have actually done tilt-shift photography might have a whole lot of bones to pick with the "'shopped" version of the technique, but I've already had plenty of enjoyment from TiltShift Generator Free. It's one of a few apps on the store that will edit taken pictures to give them the short depth of field and selective focus that creates the effect. The aptly named TiltShift and Tilt Shift Focus are two other (slightly more expensive) options, but TiltShift Generator Free worked great for just messing around, and it has the added bonus of being completely free. With the free app, you get options to blur or "vignette" (that's the shadow effect seen around the outside frame) the images, as well as adjust the saturation, brightness, and contrast. Once you save the image, you can put it back on your photo reel or export it out to email, Twitter, or Facebook. Getting the paid version for 99 cents allows a higher resolution for output, but as an amateur just having fun, I had no issues with the free version. Again, if you're a photographer who knows his or her way around Photoshop, something like this probably isn't what you need; you already know how to dive in and edit pictures, and your best shots probably aren't taken with an iPhone anyway. But as a super casual photographer who likes the tilt-shift look and playing around with the iPhone 4's great camera, I really enjoyed this free app. It's definitely worth a download.
TiltShift brings miniature faking to the iPhone
If you're looking for a quick way to add that "miniature" effect to photos from your iPhone, TiltShift is for you. While not as powerful as using desktop image editing software, it can quickly doctor your images to give them that tilt-shifty look, or just apply a dreamy vignette around the edges. TiltShift comes with a library of photos to try, but you can also use photos from your iPhone or iPod touch's camera roll. If you have an iPhone, you can take a picture directly from the app. The app works in both portrait and landscape modes, which makes it easier to transform wider photos. Rotating the screen was a little strange -- it sometimes didn't recognize when my iPod touch was rotated, and I had to sort of jiggle it to make it rotate properly. The results are pretty good: It takes a fair bit of fiddling to get it just right, and a small screen size (and no zoom support) makes very detailed manipulation difficult. On the scale of "do you want it good, or do you want it fast," TiltShift definitely leans toward "fast." Nifty, nevertheless. TiltShift is $1.99, and is available in the App Store. %Gallery-39492%
How to use Photoshop's Lens Blur tool for tilt-shift fakery (Part 1 of 2)
We all know Photoshop is a powerful tool. In two tutorials, I'll take you through how to use Photoshop CS3's Lens Blur filter to do two things: today, we'll make images look like they were shot with a tilt-shift lens. Tomorrow, we'll create clipping masks for objects that aren't entirely in focus. Lens Blur gives the effect of a narrower depth of field, so some areas of your image stay in focus, and other areas are blurred. Combined with an alpha channel that defines areas of blurriness, you have a powerful way to create masks and alter photos. The easiest thing to do is show you first how Lens Blur works in pictures.
