Your request code can be found by installing the DEMO version of Depth Of Field Generator PRO v3.0 and launching the plugin. On the bottom right hand corner of the filter, you will see your unique request code. Please send this code along with your full name and v1.0 - v3.0 purchase order receipt to Richard Rosenman.

No, you must apply for a new license in order to use DOF PRO v3.0. Please see the registration page for more information.

Yes, all registered v2.0 users are eligible for a free upgrade to v3.0, although a new license will be required. v1.5 users will be required to purchase a discounted upgrade if they wish to use v3.0. Please see the registration page for more information.

Yes. DOF PRO comes in two versions - v1.5 and v3.0. v1.5 Supports only single frame processing while v3.0 supports full batch / animation / keyframing capabilities internally from within the filter. This completely eliminates the setup time required for Photoshop actions and allows batch / animation / keyframing capabilities to be used from within any host capable of running Adobe Photoshop compliant filters. In addition, v3.0 allows all sliders to be keyframed with fully-editable function curves enabling the user to create sophisticated DOF sequences such as changing focal points, increasing DOF amounts, and much more. For a list of compatible hosts, please see the plugin compatibility list here.

Yes. There are now two online tutorials available that show you how to use DOF PRO for single and batch processing. Tutorial 1 can be found by clicking here and Tutorial 2 can be found by clicking here.

Yes. There is now a support forum for DOF PRO. It can be found at http://www.dofpro.com/forum/

It is important to recognize the difference between a depth map and a focus map. They are not the same. A depth map contains information regarding the location of objects within the scene. A focus map contains information regarding the focal point of the camera. It is not recommended that you use a focus map as your depth map because this will confuse Depth Of Field Generator PRO since there are two depth map branches. Instead, it is recommended that your depth map is output from white to black and then the focus set within the filter using the Focal Depth slider. For instance, if you wish to have an object located in the distance in focus, you would not generate a black to white depth map despite the fact that white generally means objects will be in focus and black that objects will be defocused. Instead, you would generate a standard white to black depth map, and then set the focal depth controller (F-Depth) within the filter from 255 to 0. This will effectively change the focal point from the foreground to the background, as seen by clicking on the "View Focus" button.

Bokeh effects work best on small, bright highlights. If the highlight is too large, the Bokeh effect will get lost within it and it will not be as clearly visible. If you wish to enhance the Bokeh effects, play with the Highlight Enhancement tools by adjusting the Threshold and Enhancement settings until you get the desired result. Be careful when increasing the Enhancement controller as values too high can result in aliased highlights.

For single frame processing (from within Photoshop or a compatible host) DOF PRO will support any file format so long as it is a 24 bit RGB image (8 bits per channel). 48 bit (16 bits per channel) support is intended to be implemented into future updates. For depth maps and batch / animation / keyframing processing, v3.0 supports all common 8 or 24 bit graphics file formats including .bmp, gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .tiff, .tga. 32 bit images, as well as alpha channels, are not yet supported. Additional image file formats may be implemented in future releases.

Custom Aperture Maps should be in 8 or 24 bit uncompressed BMP format and a fixed resolution of 256x256. There is a known bug in which some 8 bit BMP maps do not load correctly into DOF PRO due to palettes containing less than 256 colors.

Batch processing works with industry standardized sequentially padded BMP files. If your source, depth or output filenames do not contain matching padded counters, you will get an error. Some acceptable examples are:

test_0000.bmp (if less than 10,000 frames)

test_000.bmp (if less than 1,000 frames)

test_00.bmp (if less than 100 frames)

test0000.bmp (if less than 10,000 frames)

test000.bmp (if less than 1,000 frames)

test00.bmp (if less than 100 frames)

test_0.bmp

test0.bmp

Make sure you use a depth map of the same size as your RGB source image. Valid formats are uncompressed BMP with either 8 bit greyscale or 24 bit truecolor depth for v1.5 or all common 8 or 24 bit graphics file formats including .bmp, gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .tiff, .tga for v3.0. 32 bit images, as well as alpha channels, are not yet supported. Additional image file formats may be implemented in future releases. DOF PRO v3.0 will display more detailed error messages.

Make sure you have placed the license file in the same folder as your plugin - otherwise, Depth Of Field Generator PRO will not be able to find it and it will remain in DEMO mode. Tampering with the license can often render it invalid. Please do not distribute your license as it has your name on it.

While we have received numerous requests for such ports, they are very difficult to produce without a complete rewrite of the software. Although we are looking into 3rd parties interested in developing a port for us, we cannot promise anything at this point. If you feel you can help us do a port, we would love to hear from you. Please email Richard Rosenman using the contact button at the bottom.

Creating depth maps with 3D applications is very easy. The following example is based on 3dsmax:

1 - Render your RGB image in any renderer you choose

2 - Set your renderer to 3dsmax scanline

3 - Go to Render Elements in the render dialoge

4 - Click add and select Z-Depth

5 - Specify a minimum and maximum camera distance

6 - Render your scene. It will render the RGB (which you don't need) and then the Depth Map will pop up

*Please note that switching to the 3dsmax scanline renderer will not take displacement into consideration as well as some other renderer-dependent modeling effects. In such instances, it is wiser to use your specific renderer's Depth Map (Z-Depth) feature, if available. In many cases, depth maps can also be generated using the 3D application's fog features.

Creating depth maps for photographs is somewhat trickier because you have to create depth information from a 2D image. In most cases, using the linear and radial gradients in the plugin will suffice, However, for certain shots, manually creating a depth map will yield more accurate and realistic results. To create a depth map, color the objects in the foreground white, and those in the background black. Those in-between should be varying shades of grey, defining the amount of blur these areas will produce. Once you're done, save the depth map as a bmp and load it into the plugin.

While it is possible to generate motion blurred depth maps and apply DOF to an image / sequence using them, the result will be inaccurate as motion blurred edges do not describe the object's depth location within the scene. As with all post-render DOF processing plugins, motion blurred objects will not defocus correctly.

While it is possible to generate depth maps containing transparency and apply DOF to an image / sequence using them, the result will be inaccurate as transparent objects in depth maps do not describe the object's depth location within the scene. As with all post-render DOF processing plugins, transparent objects will not defocus correctly.

While it is possible for DOF PRO v1.5 and v3.0 to co-exist, it is not recommended. Since v3.0 has the complete v1.5 feature set and more, there is no reason to have both versions existing concurrently. However, by creating two distinct folders within your graphic application's plugin directory and placing each DOF PRO version with it's corresponding license in each folder, you can execute both v1.5 and v3.0.

While performance greatly depends on your system specifications, DOF PRO has been successfully tested on 4096x4096 images on a system with 2GB RAM. This confirms DOF PRO is a reliable solution for film production as well as print applications.

While the final output of larger images will always demand longer processing times, some preview shortcuts can facilitate the workflow to reach your desired result. When you wish to do a full image render for previewing purposes, set your Res to a lower value such as 1:5. When you render your full image, your result will be pixilated because DOF PRO only processed every fifth line of data. However, this will serve as a good indication of what your final output will look like and the processing will be significantly faster (5x). Once you are satisfied with the result, set the Res back to 1:1 and render the high quality image. Please note that setting high levels of DOF may significantly increase rendertimes so careful use this slider is recommended.

Unfortunately, at this time there is no Mac supported version. This is due to a compiler limitation and it is not a developer decision. However, various users have confirmed DOF PRO works under the following PC emulation specifications:

"MacBook running Windows under BootCamp."

"Photoshop CS2 in WinXP Pro under Virtual PC on a Mac."

Yes, below are some of our sponsers/publishers/reviewers. This list will be further updated during the next few weeks.

DOF PRO will run on any PC capable of running Adobe Photoshop v4.0 or higher, or any applications compatible with Adobe's plugin specifications. For software compatibility information, please refer to the plugin compatibility list here. DOF PRO will NOT run on Macintosh systems. This is unfortunately a compiler limitation, not a developer decision. DOF PRO can run with any amount of memory, so long as the host application such as Adobe Photoshop® is capable of running. However, a minimum memory capacity of 256 MB is recommended. Running the filter (or any filter for that matter) on extremely large images may result in memory shortages and may prevent the filter from functioning. DOF PRO has been specifically developed for use with high-resolution displays. Therefore a minimum display resolution of 800x600 is required for v1.5 although a minimum display resolution of 1024 x 768 x 24 bit color is recommended. A minimum display resolution of 1024x768 is required for v3.0 although a minimum display resolution of 1280 x 1024 x 24 bit color is recommended. Because DOF PRO has been coded with quality being the number one priority, a powerful CPU will result in significantly faster processing. Currently, DOF PRO does not make use of hyperthreaded or dual-core CPUs and it will therefore function on the primary thread / core. If at any time there is any doubt regarding Depth Of Field Generator PRO's compatibility or functioning, simply try the demo version. If it works, so will the registered version.