Akvis Refocus V.1.5 review

Refocus also includes selective focus controls, which blur areas of the frame. This simulates the depth-of-field effect available from big-sensor cameras, which is used to blur the background to accentuate the main subject. Refocus lets the user define which parts of the photo should be sharp or blurred using pen strokes, and the software interpolates between these areas. However, it does so by fading between a sharp and a blurred version of the photo, whereas a progressively stronger blur would be more realistic. It’s also disappointing that a Gaussian blur is used, as it doesn’t produce the distinctive bokeh effect of an out-of-focus lens. The fact that this blur isn’t shown in the preview doesn’t help, either.

The effect was still quite pleasing, but similar results are available from Adobe Photoshop Elements 10‘s Depth Of Field effect. In fact, Photoshop Elements’ version works a little better, thanks to the integration of its Quick Selection Tool for tracing the contours of subjects automatically.

If Refocus was a built-in feature in a consumer image-editing application, we’d be impressed but wouldn’t get overly excited about it. With a price that’s almost as much as Photoshop Elements, there’s simply not enough here to justify the expense.