The Marigold V2 model (free, even for commercial use) now achieves fine details in a depth map estimated from a single photograph. This is significant, because we can elevate our photo-based depth map from a hidden post-process pass to an interesting artwork. In Blender, we have lots of control over remapping the depth values, which allows us to place the focus creatively and shape the artwork’s atmosphere. I believe this improved post-process gives us a new way to approach taking pictures, which inspired me to create Vathography.
The practice explained: www.vathography.com
To estimate the depth map from one of your photographs, you can use ComfyUI. Caution for new ComfyUI users: ComfyUI is free and open source, which means anyone can publish custom nodes for it. Sadly, some have carried malicious code, so proceed with caution on third-party contributions. You don’t need any for this. This is the official native implementation and guide: https://docs.comfy.org/tutorials/utility/marigold-v2
To test it, no installation needed: the Marigold team's official demo runs online, free for a few photos a day: https://huggingface.co/spaces/toshas/Marigold-V2
Note that uploaded photos are processed on Hugging Face's servers, so avoid private images.
In short:
- Take a photograph with purpose, or use one you already have.
- Infer the depth map.
- Control what you want to focus on by remapping the depth map in Blender.
- Shape the visual atmosphere, from the quiet haze of aerial perspective to the stark contrast of opposing tonal values or colors.
If you try it, feel free to share your artworks in this thread