It’s difficult not to be impressed by the Lytro Illum. This amazing camera uses innovativehardware to fundamentally change photographs after you’ve actually taken them, fromswitching focal points and bringing details into razor-sharp clarity, to blurring out backgrounds. But it’s also possible to get some pretty stunning and similar effects using the tech on regular smartphones, and in some ways apps like Nokia Refocus get remarkably close to the Lytro when it comes to results.
The Lytro Illum uses a completely different sort of sensor to most cameras andsmartphones
, taking in every ray of light – rather than just enough light to capture a single image. Among other things, it means you can do some amazing post-processing tricks withphotos taken on the Lytro. Not got the budget? Although most of the phones and apps below use clever software (effectively taking a burst of shots and merging them together as necessary) rather than hardware, it’s still possible to get some brilliant photographs using the mobile in your pocket, and we’re certain you’ll be impressed with the results.
, taking in every ray of light – rather than just enough light to capture a single image. Among other things, it means you can do some amazing post-processing tricks withphotos taken on the Lytro. Not got the budget? Although most of the phones and apps below use clever software (effectively taking a burst of shots and merging them together as necessary) rather than hardware, it’s still possible to get some brilliant photographs using the mobile in your pocket, and we’re certain you’ll be impressed with the results.
Creating Bokeh with the HTC One (M8)
The HTC One (M8) packs in two main cameras on the back of the phone, with the second snapper helping the HTC to better judge distances between different objects. This helps theHTC One (M8) to work out which items should be in sharp focus, and which should be blurred out into the background. It still doesn’t get close to digital SLRs for a true bokeh effect, but it does a pretty good job for a smartphone. The HTC One (M8) also has another Lytro-like feature up its shiny aluminium sleeve though, and you can use the HTC UFocus app to pinpoint different points of your images that you want to be in focus after they’ve actually been shot, and even add different filters to the fore and background on the fly.
on the back of the phone, with the second snapper helping the HTC to better judge distances between different objects. This helps theHTC One (M8) to work out which items should be in sharp focus, and which should be blurred out into the background. It still doesn’t get close to digital SLRs for a true bokeh effect, but it does a pretty good job for a smartphone. The HTC One (M8) also has another Lytro-like feature up its shiny aluminium sleeve though, and you can use the HTC UFocus app to pinpoint different points of your images that you want to be in focus after they’ve actually been shot, and even add different filters to the fore and background on the fly.
Focus on Nokia Refocus!
If you love the idea of focusing in on an object long after you’ve taken the actual photograph, you’ll be happy to know you don’t need to spend nearly a grand on the Lytro to achieve similar results. Nokia’s Refocus app – available for PureView handsets like the Nokia Lumia 1520, Nokia Lumia 1020 and Nokia Lumia 925 – lets you do just that, tapping on different areas of a photograph to choose exactly what you want to be in focus. As soon as one part of your image sharpens up, the foreground or background blurs out of focus, and the fact you can switch instantly is a great party trick.
Tadaa is an iPhone app that helps you create a bokeh effect for your images. It lacks the power of Refocus – you can’t actually change the focal point, for instance, but it does make it easy to put more emphasis on certain details by blurring out the bits you’re not interested in. And as smartphones tend to overfill images with pin-sharp detail, that’s just fine with us. Highlight the bits you want to be blurred, spend a bit of time getting the edges just peachy, and you can really transform photographs. The object of your composition will jump out a lot more if the background is blurred, and the results are a lot easier on the eye.
Smart photography with the Samsung Galaxy S5
The Samsung Galaxy S5 is another new handset capable of changing images on the go after you’ve snapped them. You’ll be able to designate specific subjects when you’re shooting photographs, and afterwards it’s possible to choose blurred, ‘defocused’ images. There’s even a slider to let you change the amount of blur, making it easy to create artistic images where the object leaps out at you, all at the touch of a button.
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