#igcsdof faq

[pictureamoebae]

Hello I recently downloaded "Otis camera tools" for DAI and I was wondering if u could assist me with it, for some reason when I try to use the "IGCS CONNECTOR" dof doesn't activate properly, I click to render the picture but it shakes around on the screen and doesn't do anything ^^' I've never used mods like this so idk what I'm doing sorry if this isn't what u usually help with

Hi anon,

IGCSDOF doesn't work like a traditional DoF shader. It takes a little getting used to.

I'm guessing you've read the guide on Frans' website about IGCSDOF? So you should understand the basics from there. Make sure you have the companion IGCSDOF.fx shader activated in your load order. You want it to be at the bottom of your load order. The only thing below it should be film grain.

Basically what happens is:

choose whether you want fast or classic mode (if you're using TAA/DLAA/DLSS/FSR you'll want to use classic mode) and choose the number of frames to wait (for classic you'll probably want 4-5 to be safe, for fast you'll likely want 2 but you may need to experiment to see which produces the sharpest in-focus results)

decide what you want to be in focus, and turn on the magnifying box and position it over that part of the image

move the focus slider until the double images overlay each other perfectly and sharply in the area you want to be in focus

move the intensity slider (above the focus slider) until the part of the image you want to be blurred has its double images a distance away from each other - the further apart they are the more blurred it will be (this is the hardest part to get used to, but you'll quickly learn what you need to aim for)

readjust the focus slider if it became slightly misaligned when you adjusted the intensity

make any adjustments to quality and bokeh shapes (if you're making a test render to check the bokeh/blur intensity, set the quality to low at first so it renders quickly, and then change it to higher once you're happy)

start the rendering and wait for it to finish

take your shot

end the session

Depending on the mode (fast or classic) and quality you chose, the number of frames you wait, and the fps of your game, the rendering part can take anywhere from a few seconds to several long minutes. That's completely normal.

While it's rendering, it takes hundreds of separate temporary shots from different angles. This is why it looks like it's moving around on the screen. It then blends all those shots together into one final one, and that's when you take your picture.

It is complicated and confusing the first few times you do it, but once you've practiced a bit it'll become a quick and easy process. The hardest part is being patient while waiting for the render to complete. I've waited over 20 minutes before. It's totally worth it.

[pictureamoebae]

Hello, you're posts on Reshade and camera tools have been such a huge help to me and it's all easy to understand, and in one place ily <3 I do have a question tho, In your opinion is trying to learn how to use igcsdof worth it? I've been using cinematicdof up until now and igcsdof is a bit overwhelming and intimidating for a noobie like me tbh, does it actually make that much of a difference for BG3 screenshots? Thank you!

Hi anon, Happy New Year!

Yes, definitely. IGCSDoF is a game changer. It produces a much smoother image than CineDoF, especially around the edges of hair and any bright objects at the edges of characters etc. And it also helps smooth hair out, which can look a bit crunchy depending on the type of AA and other shaders you use.

It's not that difficult to use once you've practiced a couple of times, but I accept it is a big difference to using CineDoF.

[pictureamoebae]

Hello lovely helpful person! I have a question about Otis dof addon, is it possible to focus on two characters at the same time (in Bg3). Like a scene where tav and a companions stands next to each other or a romance/kiss scene, it seems that its only possible to focus on one point at once, if that makes sense? everything else gets blurry. Is this just the way it is or can you alter the focus somehow, so several things are in focus, like a group of 4 people? Thank you so much!!! Hope you understand my question (:

Hi anon!

Try to imagine the space in front of you in terms of linear distance from the camera to the farthest point in the distance.

When you focus, you're not focusing on a specific object per se, but rather on a particular distance between the camera and the horizon. Anything in the scene that is at that exact distance from the camera will be in focus, whether it's in the very centre of the screen, or off to the left or the right, top or bottom.

Anything you want to be in focus has to be at that distance.

Let's assume the camera is at 0 and the horizon is at 1, and half way between them is 0.5. If Tav is standing at 0.2 and Shadowheart is standing at 0.4 you can either focus at 0.2 or at 0.4 to have one of them in focus, but one of them will be out of focus. You can't set two different focus points because you'd end up with blur from both of them messing them both up.

There are a couple of ways to work around this, and as always with ReShade both involve compromise.

The first would be to change your composition so both characters are the same distance from the camera. That's nice and simple, but can sometimes ruin the composition you wanted.

The second is to adjust a bunch of stuff to mimic how a real camera creates blurred and in focus areas. Zoom (FoV) will affect how strong the blur is and how quickly it goes from in focus to out of focus. Theoretically, the closer you zoom in (the lower your FoV) the stronger the blur will become and the quicker it will start after the in focus area. Additionally, lowering the bokeh size in the IGCSDoF settings will also create a softer transition between the in focus area and the blurred areas. This can help create a wider zone of space that is in focus, meaning your characters may not have to be at the exact same distance away from the camera.

Unfortunately, because of the way IGCSDoF renders everything, that zone will still always be somewhat narrow, and, especially if you wanted rather strong blur in the background, you'll likely find yourself battling against some areas that aren't in focus that you wish were.

Luckily, there's a secret third way that can come to the rescue: Photoshop*.

I frequently find myself taking a shot with IGCSDoF, and one without, and then opening them in Photoshop to blend them together so I get what I want in focus. I do this a lot with close portraits where I want a decently strong background blur but find as a result only the eye is in focus and the nose and sometimes even the mouth is slightly out of focus. I layer the screenshots over one another, add a layer mask, and paint out the areas of blur I don't want so the in focus parts come through.

There are always going to be limitations with ReShade and screenshot tools more generally because it's trying to mimic real world behaviour in an artificial digital game space, so we have to get crafty sometimes!

*Other programs are available