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Focus is amongst the key fundamentals of proper photography but there's more to it than just the sharpness with the image. By paying close awareness of what is in and out of focus you can achieve so much more. Clever usage of focus can draw the viewers eye in to a scene and toward the subject, it may make it jump out or blend it in the background, it could also help to create or convey an emotional connection.

Understanding Depth of Field

Depth of field may be the distance inside a photograph that appears sharp, whilst the areas before and beyond this aspect begin to appear blurry. In traditional DSLR photography you'll be able to easily take control of your depth of field over the adjustment in the aperture. A large aperture of say f/4 will result in a narrow depth of field while a small aperture setting will result in a deeper field of focus. Having this a higher level control enables the photographer to create better, more interesting images.

However, smartphones and DSLR cameras work differently. To start with, as smartphones don't have an aperture dial they do not offer the same level of flexibility and control that DSLR cameras do. Also as a result of tiny sensor inside smartphone they typically have a large depth of field. But do not worry, if you wish to gain more treatments for the focus and depth of field that your smartphone provides then stop worrying.

Controlling Camera Focus

Let's focus on focus in at its simplest form. There's no big secret about it and it's not rocket science. The native camera app of a smartphone will automatically focus and expose in your case. You don't need to do just about anything but if your intended subject is positioned off centre or perhaps the foreground then you'll want to regain just a little more treating the photograph. On an iPhone you can do this by tapping the screen in the point where you need to set your focus. The camera will readjust its focus to this point.

However, there exists a problem with this approach as it also sets the exposure to the photograph too. Should the foreground be darker than the background then setting the target and exposure for this issue will overexpose the setting resulting in the decrease of detail in it. To get surrounding this problem the main objective and exposure needs to be locked. To do this with an iPhone, tap and contain the screen for a couple of seconds prior to the yellow box flashes as well as the AE/AF Lock message is displayed. You are then liberal to compose your shot. This is much like half pressing the shutter release button of a DSLR camera to be able to lock your focus and exposure. However there maybe situations where the main objective and exposure points are in different areas with the scene.

The iPhone also enables you to lock the main focus and then adjust the experience of suit. Before the iPhone 6 this is not possible. There are also other camera replacement apps such as Procamera (iOS), Camera+ (iOS) and Camera Awesome (Android) this allow you to discover out the focus from the exposure. With these apps you are able to simply drag out the focus/exposure points to part ways them then move the points around the screen to the desired locations. This means you be capable of focus on a foreground subject but expose to the background detail.

Controlling Depth of Field

As mentioned before, depth of field is the distance within a photograph that appears sharp, as the areas in front of and beyond now begin to appear blurry. While this is simple to control in traditional photography it isn't really so in iPhone photography but because of apps such as Big Lens and Afterfocus we could take back charge of this situation.

Big Lens (iOS) and Afterfocus (iOS/ Android ) provide you with the ability to create a mask over the areas of the photograph that you desire to remain sharp along with focus. You can then apply various forms of blurs and filters for the other areas to simulate the out of focus, depth of field effect. Of these two apps Afterfocus probably has the edge as you'll be able to create three varieties of masks for that fore, mid and backgrounds thus making a slightly natural and subtle blurring.

Snapseed (iOS/ Android ) is an additional app that will permit you to control the parts of focus using the Lens Blur module. Although Lens Blur in Snapseed does an excellent but basic job if you are searching for a more refined and professional finish then I recommend Afterfocus.

Afterfocus

How to Create Depth of Field Using Afterfocus

The process of making a depth of field effect in Afterfocus is easy. Once you have selected the photo you need to work with, the initial step is to generate a mask to the area that may remain in focus.

Create the mask

This is completed by using your finger to create a mask on the image. There are three kinds of mask, the focus area which is the bit that may remain in focus, the mid-ground, that is mildly out of focus and the backdrop which will be considerably more out of focus. This layering of focus area helps to build up a holistic looking blur effect.

Adjust the settings

The next step would be to adjust the settings from the photograph blur in order to meet your desired look. The options accessible to you include:

Blur - This controls the strength from the blur. Within this setting you are able to also select the style of blur. The two options on hand are lens blur or motion blur.

Aperture - This controls the shape with the blurring especially if you are using the Bokeh setting.

Fading Background - This setting applies a graduated mask to the photo. In manual mode this can be dragged up or down to control the place that the foreground and background focus/blur appears.

Filter - This setting supplies a selection of filter effects that can be applied to your photo.

Effect - This setting offers further options to customise your image.

Save and Share

Once your image is complete, Afterfocus enables that you save or share the photo across several social support systems including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and Instagram.

Mastering the creative utilization of focus and depth of field as part of your photography will take a new a higher level control towards the images that you just capture. So the next occasion you are composing a photograph pay focus on the areas with the image that are in focus and those that maybe out of focus. Also give some thought to how depth of field may be applied towards the photo to boost the scene and provides greater focus on your subject.

Don't ignore your exposure points though. If your exposure and focus points come in different locations then consider using apps like Procamera or Camera+ to regain more control from the image.

Finally, explore how post production apps such as Afterfocus, Big Lens or Snapseed can assist you create a greater depth of field effect but anything of warning though. Don't overdo the blur effect unless of course you might be looking to generate a surreal look. You only must apply just a little blur with an image in order to create an effective and brilliant looking result. If you go too far then a result will look artificial and over processed.

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About Mobiography

Mobiography is a leading go-to resource for those looking to make the most in the camera in your wallet - your smartphone. The aim of and Mobiography Magazine is to showcase, teach and inspire others into taking better photos and possesses grown into one in the best digital magazines and learning resources about mobile photography.

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