What Is Crossphere Bokeh?

Crossphere Bokeh is a powerful lens blur plugin designed specifically for Adobe After Effects, offering professional video editors and motion designers precise, parametric control over bokeh effects. Whether you're working on cinematic portraits, commercial product videos, or stylized motion graphics, Crossphere Bokeh enhances visual depth and realism with highly customizable blur effects. Compatible with After Effects CC 2014 and later versions, this plugin integrates seamlessly into existing workflows, making it an essential tool for creators who demand high-quality depth-of-field simulations.

Unlike After Effects’ built-in blur tools, Crossphere Bokeh goes beyond basic Gaussian blur by simulating real-world camera lens behavior. It allows users to generate authentic bokeh shapes based on depth maps, adjust highlight rendering, and fine-tune the tone mapping of out-of-focus areas. This level of control makes it ideal for producing photorealistic effects that match footage shot with physical cameras.

Key Features and Capabilities

One of the standout aspects of Crossphere Bokeh is its full parametric control over bokeh shape. Users can manipulate the number of vertices to create polygonal bokeh (like hexagonal or octagonal lens flares), adjust roundness for softer edges, and control the deformation of each bokeh element. This is especially useful when matching CGI elements to live-action footage where lens characteristics must align perfectly.

The plugin also supports depth map effects, enabling users to apply variable blur intensity based on grayscale depth layers. Lighter areas stay in focus while darker regions blur progressively, creating a convincing 3D depth illusion. This feature is invaluable for compositing 2D layers into 3D-like scenes without leaving After Effects.

Additional features include HDR highlight processing and advanced tone mapping, preserving the brightness and color integrity of light sources even when heavily blurred. This results in more natural-looking bokeh, especially in high-contrast scenes with bright lights or reflective surfaces.

With an intuitive user interface, Crossphere Bokeh keeps all essential controls accessible directly in the Effects panel. Parameters such as Blur Radius, Vertices, Roundness, and Correction (for overlapping bokeh artifacts) are clearly labeled and easy to animate over time—perfect for dynamic focus pulls or evolving background effects.

Tips and Best Practices for Using Crossphere Bokeh

To get the most out of Crossphere Bokeh, start by applying it to a layer that already has a depth map or use a grayscale matte to define focus zones. Adjust the Depth Map parameter to link the blur intensity to your depth layer, then increase the Blur Radius to expand the bokeh size. For realistic results, set the vertex count to match common lens apertures (e.g., 6 or 8 sides).

Use keyframes on the Roundness slider to transition from angular to circular bokeh during a zoom or focus shift, mimicking how real lenses behave at different apertures. The Correction slider helps reduce unnatural tiling or overlapping in dense bokeh fields—especially useful when simulating city lights at night.

For creative effects, experiment with extreme vertex values or combine Crossphere Bokeh with color grading tools to produce stylized glows. It’s also effective in product visualization, where shallow depth of field draws attention to specific features while softly blurring the background.

Available for purchase on aescripts.com, Crossphere Bokeh is a must-have After Effects bokeh plugin for professionals seeking realistic lens blur effects, customizable bokeh shapes, and depth map-based compositing tools. Whether you're creating cinematic bokeh in portraits, dynamic focus transitions, or immersive HDR backgrounds, this plugin delivers studio-grade results with minimal effort.