VFX Artist Simon Ubsdell Shows How to Make a Better Depth Blur in Fusion That Looks Much More Natural

Blackmagic Design Fusion has a built-in effect that will create a depth blur or a depth of field effect. It is quite useful, but it doesn’t always offer the most realistic results. Values will appear darker rather than lighter in the blur region, and it doesn’t really consider bokeh shape. VFX veteran Simon Ubsdell shows us that you can make your own, more realistic depth blur in Fusion, using the custom tool and some other tricks.

Of course, the technique starts with a depth pass, which will be the basis for the blur effect. The tutorial covers how to remap the Z depth to create a custom tool with many useful applications. Ubsdell’s technique can stretch beyond burning to be used for other depth-based effects too.