Origin of the term 'creamy' bokeh

[ruslan]

<p>If English is your mother tongue, could you explain the right sense of <em><strong>'creamy</strong></em>'? I understand that it is soft look of background. Shall I translate it as 'creamy' that is made from cream, but understand that it is epithet of 'soft', or shall I translate it as 'smooth' or 'soft'. We just debate about how to translate it - directly but to bear in mind that it is epithet or as just 'soft'. </p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>The word is more commonly used to refer to the texture of food (creamy, as opposed to lumpy or with gritty texture, etc). We might say that someone with unusually clear, soft skin has a "creamy" complexion. In referring to bokeh, the term is used in a similar way ... to describe the "texture" of the out-of-focus rendering. A non-creamy bokeh might show harsh double lines or hard circles around background highlights or out of focus objects. Creamy bokeh doesn't show those harsh artifacts. For most uses, it's a <em>good</em> thing.</p>

[starvy]

<p>Ruslan, it refers to the softness of bokeh. The standard or longer lenses, especially those use for portraits and with apertures of 2.8 or or even wider should produce an almost milky bokeh, however, the way the lens blades are arranged could also have an effect. My 73 year old 9cm Elmar even at f4 produces fine bokeh and to be honest just that! It is all soft. But I love the look and at the end of the day that is what matters.</p>

[keith selmes]

<p>its never really made any sense to me.<br>

the explanations given here must be right.<br>

however I think of creamy as wet and splodgy.<br>

sometimes even stiff and a bit coarse in texture - cream isn't always smooth and runny<br>

and sometimes it pongs a bit!</p>

<p> </p>

[colin carron]

<p>'Creamy bokeh' is an phrase which makes me wince every time I read it exactly because it means nothing specific. It can mean whatever the reader thinks it means. It is a sloppy shorthand for</p>

<p><em>'the out-of-focus areas of the image look really nice to me but I can't be bothered thinking up an original metaphor myself so I will just say they are <strong>as nice as a nice thing'. </strong></em></p>

<p>The origin of the phrase is therefore in the experience of pleasure while eating or looking at cream shared by a lot of people who have little gift for original expression in writing. Sorry about the rant.</p>

[alex_iwonttell]

<p>Heh, I usually misread it as 'dreamy' without realizing it.</p>

[steve_levine]

<p>Creamy=smoothness.</p>

[ruslan]

<p>Thank you. It becomes clear to me. </p>

[joe_taylor5]

<p>Isn't bokeh a pseudonym for crappy focus! :-)</p>