Comments on: 64-bit Alien Skin Bokeh filter now shipping

By: Craig

Craig — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:23:35 +0000

Andi – Doesn’t look like it work in PS on a mac. Too bad.

By: Andi

Andi — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:16:06 +0000

Craig, the best filter to add depth of field is this:

http://www.frischluft.com/lenscare/index.php

it’s more realistic than the Adobe one and works in CS5 on a Mac.

By: Zev

Zev — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:31:53 +0000

This looks fantastic. I do miss the ability to use feathered masks but there’s other solutions for that.

Wish PS’s bult in Lens Blur worked more like this.

By: Craig

Craig — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:11:50 +0000

Actually I think that the filter is well worth the price. PS Lens Blur is so slow on large files it’s almost unusable. So if you’re just going for a cool effect buy Bokeh. If you need the depth mask then use Lens Blur and plan on processing the file while you’re at lunch!

Also, I tested Bokeh against other filters and it was the only one that had the image quality of PS Lens Blur. Of course that was a couple of years ago and things move quickly.

By: BJN

BJN — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:50:25 +0000

Thanks for the link, Craig. I agree that the filter is too expensive and I think depth map capability is a no-brainer must-have for a focus effects plugin.

I’m all for plugins and other third party tools for Adobe apps, but I’ve been put off by high prices and very slow updates/upgrades to keep pace with the latest CS versions. It seems that the ecosystem for plugins is losing species and habitat. Perhaps it’s the 18-month or less Adobe release cycle. Perhaps it’s not profitable enough to develop and support good filters at a reasonable price. And it’s a dicey business proposition to sell something like HDR or stitching that eventually gets done well enough in the basic app.

By: Craig

Craig — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:22:49 +0000

For a clearer explanation of the above see this post:

http://forum.alienskin.com/bokeh-depth-maps-and-competing-products_topic1380.html

It’s just good to know before you buy. : )

By: Craig

Craig — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:17:14 +0000

I just upgraded yesterday. It’s way faster than Lens Blur and it works with Smart Objects. PS Lens Blur does not. Also they have great support. I had an activation issue and they responded and fixed it almost immediately.

The downside to the filter is that it does not use a PS vignetted or soft mask properly. It threshold’s the soft mask creating a hard line at about 50%. So for creating a true progressive depth of field effect by filtering through a mask – Photoshop Lens Blur wins hands down. I still can’t wait ’till Adobe multithread’s Lens Blur! Hint hint.

By: Glyn Dewis

Glyn Dewis — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:04:50 +0000

I must admit until now I’ve resisted any form of faux lens blur filters, but am very tempted to give this a closer look.

Thanks for the ‘heads up’ John,
Cheers,
Glyn