bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Yesterday Adobe introduced an artificial way to create lens blur. It can't be the same as bokeh from a real lens, but is similar.

The description from an Adobe forum:

The Lightroom team is [adding] AI-powered Lens Blur–giving you the ability to apply optical blur on any image regardless of how it was taken. Lens Blur is now available to try on all Lightroom surfaces.

How does Lens Blur work? Lens blur applies a depth-based blur effect, similar to what can be achieved with real-world optical lenses, by using AI-generated or device-captured depth data (when available).

Lens blur will automatically prioritize focus for the detected subject, but you can also interactively adjust the focus distance. Precise focus range tuning is also available (currently desktop only: Lightroom Desktop, Lightroom Classic, and Camera Raw).
You can also further customize the Bokeh shapes, highlight Boost (desktop only), and make depth map refinements (desktop only).

Will my Lens Blur adjustments on one surface be synced to other surfaces? I.e. mobile to web to desktop, and vice versa? Yes, all edits will sync. To revert settings, you can go back to previous versions or history steps, or un-apply Lens Blur settings.

Can I add Lens Blur settings to my presets? No, presets and copy + paste workflows are not currently enabled for Lens Blur during Early Access.

lrm Loc: Sarasota, FL

when I try to use Lens Blur, it won't work and freezes my LRC with a message that something is wrong.. I then need to exit LRC and reinstall. Tried several times and quit.

terryMc Loc: Arizona's White Mountains

Well, it's a beta thing, so...

I tried it in the Camera Raw filter and it left me unimpressed.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Smart phones have something similar.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I've seen ways of causing lens blur, and it seems counterproductive. It's a situation where "tack sharp" is a major fault.

Yes, I can understand how it could be valuable in certain situations, but I'm not jumping into this.

https://www.google.com/search?q=create+lens+blur&oq=create+lens+blur&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIICAEQABgWGB4yCggCEAAYhgMYigUyCggDEAAYhgMYigUyBggEEEUYPdIBCDM1NjdqMGo0qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Interesting concept except from the Adobe examples it does a uniform blur. No gradation as background recedes it starts immediately real fuzzy and stays the same regardless of depth.
It might improve some day but for now looks horribly phony.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

If I understand you correctly, when I played with it yesterday I saw an adjustment for gradation.

To a trained or experienced eye, much of post processing can be detected. Maybe your grand kid took a bunch of badly composed graduation phone pictures and asks you to improve them! "Phony" might not be so important. "Better" might be.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

The photos were from the program web site promoting it of a bear and cub.
If you are too blind to see the weird fuzzy then get it and love it.
To me it is blatantly obvious.
https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/help/lens-blur.html

What are you talking about your grand kid for? I never mentioned how lousy your grandkids photos are.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I'm clearly not the perfectionist you might be. The grandkid part is about using a new tool to help improve crappy pictures that they might have shot. The goal is not perfection, but only less crappy.

My single, brief exercise yesterday was trying the Lens Blur on a travel shot of my wife on an Oregon beach with a distracting background. To my eye, it worked pretty well.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

So your experience with it was viewing one page showing how it works, not real world experience working with it? I’ll reserve judgment until I’ve actually tried it.

User ID

You show toadall disregard and great disrespect for UHH Sacred Traditions.
(Keep on keepin on !!)

terryMc Loc: Arizona's White Mountains

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Acoarst i do!

one_eyed_pete Loc: Colonie NY

I haven't tried it but saw a review/summary by Matt Kloskowski yesterday. It looks like another new tool available for occasional judicial use to improve an image.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Lightroom users are usually familiar with Julieanne Kost's work. She posted an explaination of Lens Blur.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DowcCT757kw