The title of the thread mentions a blur tool because that's what it is. DxO named it the Miniature Efex tool because the blurring can make a life-size scene appear as if it's a miniature scene captured close up using a relatively small depth of field. DxO also markets the tool as great for food photography, which is appropriate. I don't understand why in the world they don't market it for close-up flower photography because it would be terrific for making creative photos in that genre.
When I captured this photo nearly four months ago, I made everything in focus by using focus stacking. I just now applied DxO's new blur tool to force the eye to focus on a very small part of the image. The result would have been more successful if I had known I was going to do this before I released the shutter. If I had known that, I would have arranged the desserts differently to create a composition that would have taken full advantage of the style of blur I chose. Even so, it works reasonably well as a photo despite that issue. And I think it effectively demonstrates the possibilities for creatively using blur.
Notice that the area that is in focus could not be captured on its own that way using a traditional lens, though it might be possible to do it using a Lens Baby or something similar.
When I captured this photo nearly four months ago, I made everything in focus by using focus stacking. I just now applied DxO's new blur tool to force the eye to focus on a very small part of the image. The result would have been more successful if I had known I was going to do this before I released the shutter. If I had known that, I would have arranged the desserts differently to create a composition that would have taken full advantage of the style of blur I chose. Even so, it works reasonably well as a photo despite that issue. And I think it effectively demonstrates the possibilities for creatively using blur.
Notice that the area that is in focus could not be captured on its own that way using a traditional lens, though it might be possible to do it using a Lens Baby or something similar.
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