I’m using Poser 7 and as a former photographer I do kind of like the DOF feature on low rez images but on the higher rez images, I do, the thatched look to the out of focus spots becomes a little hooky. Is there some way of changing the thatched to a more gaussian blur?

Sorry if this question has been posted before; I did take a quick look but did not find the forum string that dealt with this. If this has been dealt with please direct me to the proper string.

Thanks for the advice

Moonwatcher

Hborre,

I've tried that, I have changed it to gaussin and it still comes out thatched. Do I need to increase the post filter size?

The post filter is not going to change what you want.

Let me save you some time. There is no setting of Poser that will produce DOF that looks right in all cases. There are some limited situations where it will look OK.

Far easier, and far better results, is to produce a Z-depth render and use Photoshop or other postwork software to apply DOF blur.

I also do like BB says, save a z-depth and do the DOF in CS3; it is far easier, consistent results and far quicker too..

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?message_id=3619098&ebot_calc_page#message_3619098

I posted some samples here a while back, on the link above.

While I think it's great to link to semideau products, in this case I don't. You can make z-depth renders directly in Poser without buying anything. It takes only 30 seconds to set up.

Turn off all your lights.
In the atmosphere material, enable depth-cue. Set the color to white.

Please do not encourage people to buy something they have already.

There are other things in his products worth getting, but if all you want is to do a z-depth render, then ...

While I think it's great to link to semideau products, in this case I don't.

Good for you.

You can make z-depth renders directly in Poser without buying anything. It takes only 30 seconds to set up. Turn off all your lights. In the atmosphere material, enable depth-cue. Set the color to white.

True.

Please do not encourage people to buy something they have already.

I'm not encouraging anybody to buy anything; I'd like to think that people can make their own minds up about how they solve this particular issue in Poser, and I don't appreciate being asked not to do so.

There are other things in his products worth getting, but if all you want is to do a z-depth render, then ...

I'm simply passing on a recommendation for a $5.00 product which I have found extremely useful, and which takes even less time to initialise than 30 seconds; it includes other useful render modes too.

Paul you're over reacting, and also not ackowledging that people can't make up their own minds if they only know about buying a product and they have no idea they don't need the product.

These conversations aren't just about conversations. Threads here become reference points for thousands of users who never post, just read. Further, a little meme like this can grow and become repeated. In fact, it has already.

If you had the experience I've had correcting fallacies on this forum that GET REPEATED AD NAUSEUM, you'd be a little more sensitive to why I jump in and correct false assumptions before it's even at all clear that they are there.

AUGG

It must be me, help me out here step by step please.

1. I turn off all my lights; I have 4 in this particular image.

2. I go to the material room and set depth_cue to all 4 lights.

3. Do I then turn my lights back on or leave them off?

4. Render

5. Save as a Z depth?

When I first tried this I turned on all my lights and rendered when it was done the image was over exposed by at least 2 stops. I ran out of time and had to save and close Poser. When I had time to start again I tried turning off all the light and rendered; this time as expected dark. I then went and checked the depth_cue and it seemed to be back to none. Tried to set the depth_cue again but I do not think it took. When I rendered again with light on no over exposed image tried to save PNG but no Z depth option. Tried light off but still dark. I’m so confused, what am I missing? Help!

Thanks

Moonwatcher

Quote - 2) I go to the material room and set depth_cue to all 4 lights.

What's that?!? Depth_cue is in the material room "Atmosphere", not the lights. 

You want the lights off so the props don't interfere with the gray-scale image for depth.

[EDIT] Forgot which thread I was in. I earlier wrote about props and figures rendering black. That was for the silhouette thread.

Quote - 5) Save as a Z depth?

There is no such option. Save as an image in whatever format you want.

[EDITED: Got confused about which thread this was. I mentioned save as PNG in another thread and wrote that here too, but corrected it.]

Here i posted, a few mounth ago, how to use your zdepth render into photoshop to create DOF ...

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=2785177&page=1

In case you need a cheaper option than Photoshop you can get the same result with GIMP and this plugin

http://sudakyo.hp.infoseek.co.jp/gimp/fblur/focusblur_e.html#descript

you can use gaussian blur anyway, but it's not that realistic, if you are a photographer try both of them and you'll see.

If I remember correctly, you increase pixel samples. In the example below, I think I set it to 12.

http://www.runtimedna.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=lastupby&cat=0&pos=5&uid=1010

No doubt this will take longer to render.

Try deleting all lights then turn on Deph Cueing in the preview (three bals at the botton of the viewport) go to render setings and select the Poser 4 tab unchek everything and chek Ignore shader tree, go back to the preview go the Render tab, where it say Firefly select Poser 4 then render, anyway it does work the way Bagginsbill says, maybe you just need to set diferent values for DephCue_StartDis (I allways set it to 0) and for DephCue_EndDis (in my test renders for this answer I used 2000)

As you can tell from the image I uploaded I am finally on the right track with this whole don’t use Poser DOF but use the Z depth/Depth_Cue thing. It isn’t perfect yet, bur now I’m on the right road. Thanks to all the above for the help and your patience.

What good would be this forum string if I did not share what I’ve learned?

So here is my step-by-step guide for faking a DOF on a post render in Photoshop. Treat this not so much as a tutorial but more like the “Cliff Notes” to the tutorial.

Step 1) Compose, light and render your scene.

1. Once you have you final rendered you scene to the images size and quality of detail that you want save your work, then do a save as (you might want to change the name of the file to include depth cue) this will now be the file you will work of to make your Z depth render.

Z depth render is a render that will make the things closest to the camera black and the things farthest from the camera white and the stuff in between shades of gray. The default for this is way off, to get numbers that will work better you need to show and use the focus distance guide.

1. On the parameter dials switch to the camera that you used to render; note the focus_distance dial. Next click on Display, click on Guides and then click on Focus Distance guide (this is the guide that lets you know what part of the scene will be in focus if you where to use the DOF).

2. Adjust the focus_distance dial until the Focus Distance guide is where the front of your scene is; note the number by the dial mark it as DepthCue_StartDis (see step 7). Next adjust the focus_distance dial until the Focus Distance guide is where the back of your scene is; note the number by the dial mark it as DepthCue_EndDis (see step 7).

3. Now working off of you copy file, delete all your light, DO NOT JUST TURN THEM OFF, this is one of the main reasons you’re doing this on a copy. If you r scene is complete black, the go to step 6. If your scene has some glowing objects or figures see step 5A/B/C/D.

5A) If you have things glowing, then go to the material room and click on advance. For each object or figure disconnect all the nodes (I like to also click on remove all disconnect nodes). Figures will have several materials and all the material will need to have their nodes disconnected.

5B) Check the material menu and go through all the materials that are listed one by one.

5C) In the main node click on all the little colored rectangles and change their color to black. This is another good reason to work off of a copy.

5D) Repeat steps A - C for everything listed in the Object menu that is glowing in your darkened scene.

5E) Once your scene is completely black and if you haven’t done so yet, then this might be a good time to do a save. Go to step 5.

1. Now that your scene is completely black you might want to save. Go to the material room click on advance from the object menu chose atmosphere.

2. On the atmosphere node on the top line, DepthCue_on click a check in the box. The third line, DepthCue_color click on the little rectangle and change the color to white. On the fourth line change that number to the number you marked as DepthCue_StartDis (everything at this point and closer to the camera will be black everything behind that point will be shades of gray). Now for the fifth Change that number to the number you had marked DepthCue_EndDis (every thing at this point and further away from the camera will be white everything before will be shades of gray).

3. Maybe s good time to save. Go to the pose room. Click on render setting and click on Poser 4. Uncheck everything, BUT DO CHECK Ignore Shade trees.

4. Click on FireFly; make whatever changes to speed up render time. (I might even reduce the Render Dimensions to mach the Preview Dimensions; you can make it bigger in Photoshop. Rendering speed here is important not image quality.)

5. Render. You should have an image where the things closest are black with shades of gray getting light the further back until you have whit at the back of your scene.

6. Export Image any format.

7. Start Photoshop, open your Z depth file and save as (for safety work on a copy).

8. Change mode to gray scale. Open levels, click auto and click ok. Open the info pallet and find the percent of the gray section that you want to keep sharp, note it.

9. Next you want to make everything sharp to become white and everything you want out of focus to go gray or black. To do this open curves, make the graph a horizontal line against the bottom, image should become white. Take a good guess as to where you precent is and click, if you missed that is O.K. just type the right number in the input field. Now pull up the far right end all the way up and then the far left end all the way up. If you chose the right precent for the in focused stuff then they will be white and everything else will be either gray or black; if not try, try and try again When you have got it good click O.K.

10. If needed, then do an image size and bring it up to match the image you are going to adjust.

11. Do a select all and copy.

12. Open the image your are going to adjust, Open the channels pallet, if needed make a new channel. Past in the Z depth render on the new channel. Chose RGB. Click on select, click on load selection and chose the channel that you pasted the Z depth and then click O.K. the parts that you want to make out of focus are now selected, have fun.

Sorry this became longer then the Cliff Notes version, but I had fun writing it. So if any of you, who know this stuff better please fell free to post corrections and/or clarifications. Please, please let’s do not argue over the small stuff. There are many ways to solve a problem, but does it matter what way is used as long as we like the results we get?

In photoshop you can just use the lens filter to do the DoF with the Z depth.

That is a great filter thanks for the sugestion.