Alien Skin Bokeh 2 review

Create shallow depth of field effects post capture

Alien Skin Bokeh 2
The program's interface isn't perfect, but it has some great image effects

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Alien skin bokeh 2

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Alien skin bokeh 2 review

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BLUR: A planar focus region was ideal here for blurring more distant detail, but with awkward objects, such as the tree trunk on the left, you may need to make a selection in Photoshop before you edit it in Alien Skin Bokeh 2.

Alien skin bokeh 2 review

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Alien skin bokeh 2 review

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LO-FI: A combination of blur and vignetting creates an effective lo-fi 'look' that's reminiscent of cheap lenses and old-fashioned cameras.

Alien skin bokeh 2 review

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Alien skin bokeh 2 review

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GRAIN: What happens to film grain if you apply a bokeh effect? Normally, it's blurred along with the detail, but this plug-in's grain-matching tools mean you can preserve the grain structure.

Alien skin bokeh 2 review

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Alien skin bokeh 2 review

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MINI: A planar focus region gives a realistic miniature effect to this Las Vegas night scene, and Bokeh 2's extensive highlight controls have been used to create a 'star' effect in the neon lights.

Alien skin bokeh 2 review

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Alien skin bokeh 2 review

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TOO MUCH BLUR: It doesn't always work. This aircraft's wheels are too blurred and the hills behind the cockpit are too sharp - sometimes it takes Photoshop's selection tools and a lot more work to get a good result.

Alien skin bokeh 2 review

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Alien skin bokeh 2 review

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CLOSE-UP: Close-ups often respond very well to the 'bokeh', treatment. A planar focus region near the base and a smaller, circular region over the watch face give this still-life arrangement more 'depth'.

Rod Lawton is Head of Testing for Future Publishing’s photography magazines, including Digital Camera, N-Photo, PhotoPlus, Professional Photography, Photography Week and Practical Photoshop.