A new freeform depth of field controlling method based on focused plenoptic camera

The depth of field (DOF) can be seen as a continuous range within which the objects in the scene are in focus. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm to take freeform control of DOF. The algorithm is able to create discontinuous depth of field. It allows us to render an image with multiple objects in focus. The algorithm can also render an image with extended DOF that all the objects are in focus. This algorithm is based on the structure of focused plenoptic camera. By trading directional information for the spatial information, this type of camera makes possible to render high resolution image from captured light field to meet the requirement of modern photography. Comparing with the traditional method to render a multiple focuses image like focal stack compositing, this proposed algorithm only need a single exposure to get all the necessary information for the output. The capturing system will be more simple and compact. The performance is illustrated by applying the algorithm to raw plenoptic data. And the rendering results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is feasible and effective.