BokehDiff: Neural Lens Blur with One-Step Diffusion
On the map: Diffusion models → 3D, point cloud and scene generation
Abstract (arXiv)
We introduce BokehDiff, a novel lens blur rendering method that achieves physically accurate and visually appealing outcomes, with the help of generative diffusion prior. Previous methods are bounded by the accuracy of depth estimation, generating artifacts in depth discontinuities. Our method employs a physics-inspired self-attention module that aligns with the image formation process, incorporating depth-dependent circle of confusion constraint and self-occlusion effects. We adapt the diffusion model to the one-step inference scheme without introducing additional noise, and achieve results of high quality and fidelity. To address the lack of scalable paired data, we propose to synthesize photorealistic foregrounds with transparency with diffusion models, balancing authenticity and scene diversity.
Key facts. Cited by 8 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026). Placed in 3D, point cloud and scene generation, one of 14 directions in Diffusion models. Builds on 42 of its 64 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 24 Jul 2025.
Builds on
42 of 64 references.
References · 42
- 2020Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Modelscited by 21,076
- 2021LoRA: Low-Rank Adaptation of Large Language Modelscited by 14,380
- 2018The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Deep Features as a Perceptual Metriccited by 11,177
- 2020Denoising Diffusion Implicit Modelscited by 9,781
- 2022Scalable Diffusion Models with Transformerscited by 6,054
- 2023Adding Conditional Control to Text-to-Image Diffusion Modelscited by 5,503
- 2023SDXL: Improving Latent Diffusion Models for High-Resolution Image Synthesiscited by 4,356
- 2022A ConvNet for the 2020scited by 3,579
- 2022InstructPix2Pix: Learning to Follow Image Editing Instructionscited by 2,611
- 2021SDEdit: Guided Image Synthesis and Editing with Stochastic Differential Equationscited by 1,937
- 2021Restormer: Efficient Transformer for High-Resolution Image Restorationcited by 1,627
- 2024Depth Anything V2cited by 1,422
30 more
- 2024Depth Anything: Unleashing the Power of Large-Scale Unlabeled Datacited by 1,360
- 2021Blended Diffusion for Text-driven Editing of Natural Imagescited by 927
- 2020Image Quality Assessment: Unifying Structure and Texture Similaritycited by 811
- 2023MasaCtrl: Tuning-Free Mutual Self-Attention Control for Consistent Image Synthesis and Editingcited by 727
- 2022Activating More Pixels in Image Super-Resolution Transformercited by 438
- 2022Blended Latent Diffusioncited by 432
- 2023Diffusion Self-Guidance for Controllable Image Generationcited by 305
- 2022Cold Diffusion: Inverting Arbitrary Image Transforms Without Noisecited by 276
- 2023Pixel-Aware Stable Diffusion for Realistic Image Super-resolution and Personalized Stylizationcited by 254
- 2023Efficient Diffusion Training via Min-SNR Weighting Strategycited by 246
- 2024One-Step Effective Diffusion Network for Real-World Image Super-Resolutioncited by 246
- 2022MAT: Mask-Aware Transformer for Large Hole Image Inpaintingcited by 218
- 2024Lotus: Diffusion-based Visual Foundation Model for High-quality Dense Predictioncited by 166
- 2021Transformer for Single Image Super-Resolutioncited by 150
- 2024One-Step Image Translation with Text-to-Image Modelscited by 116
- 2021Global Self-Attention as a Replacement for Graph Convolutioncited by 114
- 2024Transparent Image Layer Diffusion using Latent Transparencycited by 114
- 2020Rendering Natural Camera Bokeh Effect with Deep Learningcited by 57
- 2022BokehMe: When Neural Rendering Meets Classical Renderingcited by 48
- 2023SCEdit: Efficient and Controllable Image Diffusion Generation via Skip Connection Editingcited by 37
- 2024Ctrl-X: Controlling Structure and Appearance for Text-To-Image Generation Without Guidancecited by 34
- 2019Synthetic Defocus and Look-Ahead Autofocus for Casual Videographycited by 28
- 2020AIM 2020 Challenge on Rendering Realistic Bokehcited by 26
- 2024Generative Photography: Scene-Consistent Camera Control for Realistic Text-to-Image Synthesiscited by 26
- 2019SteReFo: Efficient Image Refocusing with Stereo Visioncited by 25
- 2020BGGAN: Bokeh-Glass Generative Adversarial Network for Rendering Realistic Bokehcited by 19
- 2023Dr.Bokeh: DiffeRentiable Occlusion-aware Bokeh Renderingcited by 19
- 2021Stacked Deep Multi-Scale Hierarchical Network for Fast Bokeh Effect Rendering from a Single Imagecited by 18
- 2022MPIB: An MPI-Based Bokeh Rendering Framework for Realistic Partial Occlusion Effectscited by 17
- 2023BokehOrNot: Transforming Bokeh Effect with Image Transformer and Lens Metadata Embeddingcited by 3
Built on by
Citing papers per year: 2025: 3; 2026: 5.
8 papers.
- 2025Generative Refocusing: Flexible Defocus Control from a Single Imagecited by 4
- 2026The First Controllable Bokeh Rendering Challenge at NTIRE 2026cited by 2
- 2025Boosting Monocular Metric Depth Estimation via Bokeh Renderingcited by 1
- 2026AnyBokeh: Physics-Guided Any-to-Any Bokeh Editing with Optical Fingerprint Transfercited by 1
- 2026LensStyle: Learning the Optical Aesthetics for Controllable Stylized Lens Effect Renderingcited by 1
- 2025MODEST: Multi-Optics Depth-of-Field Stereo Datasetcited by 0
- 2026SmartPhotoCrafter: Unified Reasoning, Generation and Optimization for Automatic Photographic Image Editingcited by 0
- 2026Towards Photorealistic and Efficient Bokeh Rendering via Diffusion Frameworkcited by 0
- 2026LensStyle: Learning the Optical Aesthetics for Controllable Stylized Lens Effect Rendering4 Sep 2026
- 2026AnyBokeh: Physics-Guided Any-to-Any Bokeh Editing with Optical Fingerprint Transfer30 Jun 2026
- 2026Towards Photorealistic and Efficient Bokeh Rendering via Diffusion Framework8 May 2026
- 2026The First Controllable Bokeh Rendering Challenge at NTIRE 20266 May 2026
- 2026SmartPhotoCrafter: Unified Reasoning, Generation and Optimization for Automatic Photographic Image Editing21 Apr 2026
- 2025Generative Refocusing: Flexible Defocus Control from a Single Image18 Dec 2025
- 2025Boosting Monocular Metric Depth Estimation via Bokeh Rendering13 Dec 2025
- 2025MODEST: Multi-Optics Depth-of-Field Stereo Dataset25 Nov 2025
Similar, not cited
Close in wording, no citation either way
- 2025Bokeh Diffusion: Defocus Blur Control in Text-to-Image Diffusion Models
- 2025Any-to-Bokeh: Arbitrary-Subject Video Refocusing with Video Diffusion Model
- 2023GBSD: Generative Bokeh with Stage Diffusion
- 2025BokehFlow: Depth-Free Controllable Bokeh Rendering via Flow Matching
- 2025Null-Space Diffusion Distillation Unlocks Speed, Fidelity and Realism in Lensless Imaging
- 2025Fine-grained Defocus Blur Control for Generative Image Models
- 2025DiffCamera: Arbitrary Refocusing on Images
- 2023Curved Diffusion: A Generative Model With Optical Geometry Control