Ok can someone PLEASE help me. I have a depth map, and i need to know how to use it in a layer mask to get the dof effect. I have done it before, but its been awhile, and I forgot how. I am using cs3. Please help :D

I had dropped this forum from my list after somebody complained that they were told
to ask somewhere else, and I sure hope you ain't asking in the wrong place, ladylindael.
I don't get in here more than twice a week (be back monday barring unforeseen stuff)
but basically ya do yer render with depth cue enabled, export yer render as tiff file,
open that in cs3, then select channels, select mask (alpha), then go back to the
layer and apply filter thru mask.

the rest of 'em know how to do this, hence they can add more info, if needed.

To get DOF with layer mask  first duplicate the background layer.

Add layer mask to copy layer. 

In channel palette click on alpha channel and CTRL+I to invert it.

CTRL+A to select all and CTRC+C to copy.

In layers palette ALT+click on mask icon of copy layer. Document will turn into black, that is your current mask. CTRL+V to paste the alpha channel.

ALT+click again on mask icon to get back to your image.

Thats it basicaly, I dont know what you have. But if its not enough blured, use Gaussian blur slightly :)

I hope it will help :)

Miss Nancy Im sure that nobody on this forum who is regular was rude to anyone :)

Tihomir

Open your mind and share the knowledge!

Also as Outline by Tihomir above, you can alternately go to 'FILTER / BLUR / LENS BLUR. A new window will pop up. Click on the part of your image that you DO NOT want to blur. You will see the Numbers above the sliders or the right side change. They tell you your depth of your object. Then adjust the sliders below to the desired blur effect you want. After a couple or three times you will know about how much to Adjust the DOF Blur. 
You can find more about it CLICK HERE
Hope that helps.

I would rather be Politically Incorrect,
Then have Politically Correct-Incorrectness!!!

I do it the way outlined in Thelby's link - the only trick i that on the blurred layer you will see outward extending blurred edges of whatever it is you want sharp - so you'll need to do a little bit of the Clone Tool on the blurred layer to cover that up.

I find the same problem with using DOF maps - I still have the fuzzines around the edges of the still-sharp points.

Someone was told to go somewhere else to ask their question? You're rght - that WOULD be rude! Like Tihomir says, I doubt that's a regular here - a least I hope not.
-Lew ;-)

thanks!! you all helped a lot! :D

o.k.,  let us know how the render turns out.

I use the Depth of Field plugin form Richard Rosenmann, it's awesome,since I can batch file it (for animations)
. It lets you select any point on the depth mask and set that as the clear focus point, and then lets you blur the rest in in varying ways as if through a camera who's aperture you are changing.

http://www.dofpro.com/

This depth of field applied, just slightly
http://www.silverblades-suitcase.com/vue1/minotaur2_depth.jpg
and without
http://www.silverblades-suitcase.com/vue1/minotaur2.jpg

:)

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