How to Create Long Lens Compression in Photoshop

 

Okay, so you want to create the long lens compression, but you don’t have the lens, you only have photoshop. What to do? We’ll show you how to fake it till you make it. We’ve all seen the beautiful images where the subject pops so sharply from a gorgeous blurred background, right? And, surely, many of us know that that stunning bokeh is the result first and foremost of a long lens (offering lots of compression), and a low aperture. But, there are a few things you can do to achieve a similar look without spending thousands of dollars on new gear. And today, I’m going to unfold some of those Photoshop strategies for you!

Please know that these tips were born out of necessity. I define myself mostly as a Lifestyle – Fine Art Photographer and as such, I LOVE a long lens for outdoor portraits. I used a 70-200mm WORKHORSE in almost all my outdoor work for years. But, a few months ago, tragedy struck. I picked up my 70-200mm lens one fateful day last summer, and only half of it came with me. The inside literally fell out. Now, it sits, sad and lonely in pieces in my gear backpack as a very expensive weight. It will cost more to fix than replace so I will replace it (probably with the Sigma Art 105mm), but in the last few months we moved twice, bought a small acreage, and the province where I live totally shut down twice (thanks Covid), so it hasn’t felt like a good time to be indulgent.

So, for now, I do what I can to manipulate bokeh and compression with a couple simple shooting techniques, and some Photoshop finesse.

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Here are my top five tips for creating long lens compression bokeh in Photoshop:

1. The Space Between:
   Even with a super long lens, lens compression (and thus bokeh) is enhanced when there is distance between your subject and the objects in the background. I try and leave as much space as possible between these two elements. Doing the one simple thing will give you the most bokeh possible with your given lens, AND BONUS, it will make adding a little more blur in PS way easier.
   

   Straight out of Camera

2. Shoot wide open:
   If you aren’t already doing this, you want to shoot with as low an aperture as you can. When I’m outdoors in bright light, I raise my Shutter Speed to compensate for a low aperture to keep my exposure on point. Shooting wide open will allow you to get as much natural bokeh in your images as possible. Make sure, if you have multiple subjects, that they are on the same plane if you are wide open, otherwise you will have one in focus, and the other out of focus.
   

   With basic LR adjustments and cropping and cloning in PS

3. Directional Light:
   This again is a tip that will provide beauty in your image, but it will also make editing in a blurred background a LOT easier. If you have light lowish in the sky (which is ideal), try to backlit or side light your subject so that there is a rim of golden light around your subject. This just makes it way easier to edit the background in PS. In my image below, the light was coming from the sun behind Nora and to the left.
   

   With colour painted on background, and added some sun

4. Paint the Background:
   I start by opening my images in Lightroom to do colour correction, white balance correction and some other basic edits. Then I take them to Photoshop. First, I like to do a little background painting. I start by duplicating my background layer, then I use the selection tool to select a colour from the background. The colour I use is often a light golden colour from the rim light or backlight or a brownish colour if I don’t have much light going on. I make sure my brush is super soft and big, opacity and flow are both around 30%, and paint it on the background. Next, I create a layer mask on the painted layer and use the brush to brush the effect off any places I don’t want it, like on my subject or the foreground. I usually apply a slight gaussian blur filter to this paint layer, just to blend everything nicely. It’s important to use a lower the opacity on this layer because I don’t want to get too crazy here. Then I usually flatten (because I hate millions of layers going on).
   

   With lens blur filter added

5. Background Blur:
   After my painting project, I like to add a little more blur to my background. To do this, I use the Lens Blur Filter. First, duplicate the background layer, then select Filter > Blur > Lens Blur and use the slider on the upper right hand menu (Blur Focal Distance) to add a little more blur. Use this tool with restraint. A little blur goes a long way. Next, I create a layer mask on my blurred layer. Then I brush it off my subject, and the plane of field around my subject. I also lower the opacity of my brush to gradually erase the blur around my subject so it blends up to full strength. As you are doing this, try to think how the blur would occur naturally and mimic that. Again, I usually lower the opacity on this layer too just to make sure I’m keeping things real.
   

   Finished Edit

And, that’s basically all I do to add bokeh using Photoshop! If you don’t have a long lens, but swoon over beautiful bokeh, these tips will help you find some satisfaction!

For more inspirations, follow Sarah on Instagram!