ACCURATE SIMULATION OF SHALLOW DEPTH OF FIELD USING CONTRAST DETECTION

Aspects of the subject technology relate to accurately simulating a shallow depth of field (DOF) in an image through post-processing, such as using contrast detection. The highest contrast value in the image is used to determine high contrast areas and low contrast areas. The boundaries or edges of the high contrast areas are determined from contrast values in the image. A blur is applied to the low contrast areas, which stops abruptly at the edges. Blurring the low contrast areas simulates the shallow DOF by mimicking the blur in out-of-focus areas when taking photos with a camera and lens system having a shallow DOF.