# Depth of field

> Depth of field is how much of a shot is in focus from front to back. A shallow depth of field isolates the subject against a soft background; a deep one keeps the whole scene sharp.

It is set by the aperture on a real camera, and it is the single most reliable cue for whether an image reads as cinematic or as a snapshot. Shallow says portrait, intimacy, attention; deep says landscape, documentary, information.

In generation it is also a useful defence: a soft background has fewer details to get wrong.

## On eroq

Three apertures in the director's rack — f/1.4 wide open, f/4 moderate, f/11 deep focus — and the written forms work too. Typing "shallow depth of field", "f/1.4" or "deep focus" in the prompt highlights the phrase and sets the aperture for that render.

## FAQ

### How do I get a blurry background?

Write "shallow depth of field" or "f/1.4" in the prompt, or pick f/1.4 from the aperture rack. Pair it with a close or medium frame — a wide shot has little background separation to give you.

### What is deep focus for?

Landscapes, architecture, group scenes and anything where the background is information rather than atmosphere. It is "f/11" or "deep focus" in the prompt.

### Does the aperture setting change the price?

No. The rack folds into the prompt server-side and costs nothing; the credit price depends on the engine and the length only.

## Related

- https://eroq.ai/glossary/director-rack — Director's rack
- https://eroq.ai/glossary/anamorphic — Anamorphic
- https://eroq.ai/tools/camera-controls — Camera controls

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