Soft focus - lens, stockings, vaseline, filters or photoshop?

Hi, guys. Lately I've been playing in pp (gaussian blur mainly) to achieve a soft focus style and so far like the results for some type of photographs but I was wondering if I could achieve better results by using a dedicated lens or filter or by applying vaseline or using stocking.
For any of you who have experience in this, which technique do you like best and why?

Thanks.

I played with this a number of years ago. Vaseline is a real mess and there are better alternatives. First you could get some soft focus filters for your present lens. They can give pretty nice results. The best option I found was to use soft focus M42 adapted lenses. I had a couple of them and I am really sorry about this part - I don't remember the specifics. If you are interested in adapting an M42 lens all you need is a cheap adapter and Google can help you find the lenses. The lenses themselves shouldn't cost much more than a soft focus filter.

Back in the day I used hair spray on an old UV filter which worked pretty well. My favourite way to get soft focus was using a Zeiss Softar filter. BH Link> http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …_49mm_Zeiss_Sof​tar_2.html

I use dedicated lenses.
Sometimes the softness is side effect, sometimes I would be happy the lens would give the same bokeh without softness in the sharp area. But often I like this softer effect - not completely blurred, but some spherical abberation - glow.

But I am sure that I do not want to make such in Photoshop - I would spend too much time, and would fail.

Meyer Trioplan 100:

If I could only pick one, it would be the "Grease Job". Advantage is that you can apply the effect selectively & have it just where you want it.
We used vaseline in set-ups for 8" X 10" transparencies way back when. Creative controls were the amount you used, where you put it, the distance it was from the lens, & the f-stop. Trivia re: f-stop - on a small camera, the DOF Preview would let us see what we were doing, but a 8X10 view camera at f/64 was something that worked best in a studio. ; )
Sometimes just the oil from next to my nose would give a subtler effect.
Vaseline would last all day. I don't remember if we used KY Jelly back then, but it's advantage was that it was washable & came off easy.

Here's a shot when I was playing with a plastic model in the studio.

What sort of look are you going for?

I did some 80's-style Glamour Shots a couple years ago, and after fumbling around with a few different methods, I decided that I liked the Clarity slider in Lightroom/ACR the best.

https://photography-on-the.net …showthread.php?​p=16204422

For a photoshop solution I'd imagine Field Blur would work better than just Gaussian Blur. You can 'pin' an area on the photo, define how much blur to apply, and transition to a different amount of blur in a different area of the photo.

Surface Blur is probably also worth checking out. Again, depending on the nature of the subject matter, and the desired end result.

Instead of putting Vaseline or whatever on the actual lens....

Buy a cheap clear filter and put the Vaseline on the filter!

Much easier to clean afterwards, with no real risk of damaging the lens!

One should understand that the different techniques of achieving soft focus are all different in what they do, and about whether or not they please the VIEWER!

Classically, you can put a

1. Softar filter over the lens
   
2. a dark fine net over the lens
   
3. a dark open net over the lens
   
4. a white fine net over the lens
   
5. a white open net over the lens
   
6. a flesh colored fine net over the lens
   
7. a flesh colored open net over the lens
   
8. Vaseline on filter in front of the lens
   
9. a dark fine net over the enlarger lens
   
10. a dark open net over the enlarger lens
    
11. a white fine net over the enlarger lens
    
12. a white open net over the enlarger lens
    
13. a flesh colored fine net over the enlarger lens
    
14. a flesh colored open net over the enlarger lens
    
15. or use a soft focus lens
    

Thank you all for commenting I'll have to spend some time experimenting with the advices you all have given me.

nqjudo wrote in post #17426563
The best option I found was to use soft focus M42 adapted lenses.

I didn't know anything about these lenses before but seems like it could be a good alternative.

flowrider wrote in post #17426573
Back in the day I used hair spray on an old UV filter which worked pretty well. My favourite way to get soft focus was using a Zeiss Softar filter.

That filter looks good, just saw some photos with it on flickr but unfortunately there are just a few of them, thanks for the link.

ZoneV wrote in post #17426754
I use dedicated lenses.
Sometimes the softness is side effect, sometimes I would be happy the lens would give the same bokeh without softness in the sharp area. But often I like this softer effect - not completely blurred, but some spherical abberation - glow.

But I am sure that I do not want to make such in Photoshop - I would spend too much time, and would fail.

Those are really nice photos, especially #1 and #2.

PhotosGuy wrote in post #17426915
If I could only pick one, it would be the "Grease Job". Advantage is that you can apply the effect selectively & have it just where you want it.

Nice image.
Applying the effect selectively would definitively be a great advantage.

nathancarter wrote in post #17427044
What sort of look are you going for?

I did some 80's-style Glamour Shots a couple years ago, and after fumbling around with a few different methods, I decided that I liked the Clarity slider in Lightroom/ACR the best.

I've tried playing with clarity but so far haven't achieve a result I like, maybe with other kind of photos.

groundloop wrote in post #17427125
For a photoshop solution I'd imagine Field Blur would work better than just Gaussian Blur. You can 'pin' an area on the photo, define how much blur to apply, and transition to a different amount of blur in a different area of the photo.

nathancarter wrote in post #17427188
Surface Blur is probably also worth checking out. Again, depending on the nature of the subject matter, and the desired end result.

Interesting ideas, I haven't tried with different types of blur, but it's worth trying.

jimeuph1 wrote in post #17427196
Instead of putting Vaseline or whatever on the actual lens....

Buy a cheap clear filter and put the Vaseline on the filter!

Much easier to clean afterwards, with no real risk of damaging the lens!

I have a cheap UV filter I could use

Wilt wrote in post #17427260
One should understand that the different techniques of achieving soft focus are all different in what they do, and about whether or not they please the VIEWER!

Classically, you can put a

1. Softar filter over the lens
   
2. a dark fine net over the lens
   
3. a dark open net over the lens
   
4. a white fine net over the lens
   
5. a white open net over the lens
   
6. a flesh colored fine net over the lens
   
7. a flesh colored open net over the lens
   
8. Vaseline on filter in front of the lens
   
9. a dark fine net over the enlarger lens
   
10. a dark open net over the enlarger lens
    
11. a white fine net over the enlarger lens
    
12. a white open net over the enlarger lens
    
13. a flesh colored fine net over the enlarger lens
    
14. a flesh colored open net over the enlarger lens
    
15. or use a soft focus lens
    

...and now you can add different types of blur digitally

I know that putting a net over the taking lens is different in appearance from same net over the enlarger lens. Whether or not with digital blur one truly reproduces and of the analog approaches I have never bothered to investigate. I rather doubt it.

I also think that it is impossible (or at least impossible to me given my current photoshop skills) to reproduce those analog effects.

I guess I'll have to experiment to better know which technique I like best. I guess I'll have to start with spray, vaseline and nets, after that, filters and finally lenses.

jimeuph1 wrote in post #17427196
Instead of putting Vaseline or whatever on the actual lens....

Buy a cheap clear filter and put the Vaseline on the filter!

Much easier to clean afterwards, with no real risk of damaging the lens!

I had assumed that this was what we were talking about. My bad.
Additionally, I might not have been clear where I said, "Creative controls were the amount you used, where you put it, the distance it was from the lens,..." where distance was not from the lens to the subject, but distance from the lens to the glass with the grease job on it. The simplest in-the-field method was to tape it to a lens shade. Different depth shades would give slightly different results. Or something like this which would allow different distances & also hold a Conkin filter.

If you don't really want to mess with greasy solutions you could try what we use to do in the "old days" Get a cheap (used) uv filter and take some clear fingernail polish and paint a spiral pattern on the glass. The less you use and the wider the pattern the lighter the effect would be. The good thing about this method is you can carry it in your camera bag without worrying about contaminating the rest of your gear with grease.