Well, not really. But it does allow you to mimic the tilt-shift effect that makes it appear a photograph is of a miniature model. In tilt-shift, focus is quickly lost as the view leaves the plane of focus, because of the small scale. So, by blurring an arial image according to distance from the focus object, we can create the illusion of a miniature.
Consider the below source image. (Citations for images taken from the Internet are in the alt-text).
In my program, the user specifies the region that is to be in focus. Selecting a narrow rectangle approximates a "plane of focus", but any polygon is acceptable. This allows the user to specify object masks, enabling non-planer focuses as seen in out first example.
In this case, I selected the buildings along the right side of the pier.
The user also specifies how many levels of blurring will be present in the final image (including "in focus", at least 3) and how quickly the level of blurring should change. The program then generates a set of binary masks that partition the image.
These are the masks generated in this example.
After that it is a simple matter of applying different blurs to each area defined by a mask, in increasing intensity. I increase the color saturation to enhance the effect, producing the final image.
Here are the results on the images provided by course staff. Open in new tab for full size.
Here is the effect demonstrated on some photos I took around Carnegie Mellon's campus.
A path outside the new Gates-Hillman center
The benches outsie Wean Hall, near the Engineering and Sciences Library skylights
Finally, I tried to make a fake stop-motion animation, but ran into several problems. The camera I was using could not take pictures quickly enough, causing huge lurches between "frames". Also, I could not find a place on campus with a high enough vantage point to set up good shots, so the Miniature Effect is minimal. The results of my efforts, taken in the lobby of the University Center, are here.
