Choose Filter > Blur Gallery > Field Blur.
Use the Blur Gallery to quickly create distinct photographic blur effects with intuitive on-image controls.
Each blur tool provides intuitive on-image controls to apply and control the blur effect. With the blur adjustments complete, use the Bokeh controls to style the overall blur effect. Photoshop provides a full-size, live preview when you work with the Blur Gallery effects.
Choose Filter > Blur Gallery and then select the desired effect.
For information on other blur effects, see Adjust image sharpness and blur.
For Lens blurs (Field blur, Iris blur, and Tilt/Shift blur), press the M key to view the blur mask applied to the image. The black areas are not blurred, while lighter areas indicate the amount of blurring applied to the image.
Use Field Blur to build a gradient of blurs, by defining multiple blur points with different amounts of blur. Add multiple pins to the image and specify a blur amount for each pin.
The final result is combined effect of all blur pins on the image. You can even add a pin outside the image, to apply the blur at corners.
Choose Filter > Blur Gallery > Field Blur.
A Field blur pin is placed on the image. Click the image to add additional blur pins.
Click a pin to select it, and do one of the following:
A. Unselected blur pin B. Selected blur pin
Use the Iris blur to simulate a shallow depth-of-field effect to your picture, irrespective of the camera or lens used. You can also define multiple focus points, an effect almost impossible to achieve using traditional camera techniques.
Choose Filter > Blur Gallery > Iris Blur.
The default Iris blur pin is placed on the image. Click the image to add additional blur pins.
A. Sharp area B. Fade area C. Blur area
Drag the handles to move them to redefine the various areas.
Drag the blur handle to increase or decrease the blur. You can also use the Blur Tools panel to specify a blur value.
Use the Tilt-Shift effect to simulate an image taken with a tilt-shift lens. This special effect blur defines area of sharpness, and then fades to a blur at the edges. The Tilt-Shift effect can be used to simulate photos of miniature objects.
Choose Filter > Blur Gallery > Tilt-Shift.
The default Tilt-Shift blur pin is placed on the image. Click the image to add additional blur pins.
A. Sharp area B. Fade area C. Blur area
Drag the blur handle to increase or decrease the blur. You can also use the Blur Tools panel to specify a blur value.
To define the different areas, do the following:
Using the Path Blur effects, you can create motion blurs along paths. You can also control the shape and amount of blurring. Photoshop automatically composites the effects of multiple path blurs applied to an image.
Follow the steps below:
Speed
Adjust the Speed slider to specify the amount of path blur you want to apply to the image. The Speed setting is applied to all plath blurs in the image.
Taper
Adjust the slider to specify a taper value. A higher taper value lets the blur trail off gradually.
Strobe Flashes
Set the number of exposures of the virtual strobe flash light.
Strobe Strength
Determine how much blurring is displayed between strobe flash exposures. Strobe Strength controls the balance between ambient light and the virtual strobe flash light.
No strobe effect is displayed if you set Strobe Strength to 0%; only continuous blur is shown. On the other hand, when you set Strobe Strength to 100%, the strobe flashes are produced in full strength but no continuous blur is displayed between flash exposures. Intermediate Strobe Strength values produce a mixture of individual strobe flashes along with continuous blur.
You can use the overlay controls to conveniently create path blurs.
Using the controls, you first define a path for the blur (blue). You can then define a curve for the path, thereby creating new curve points in the path. Once the path has been defined, you can define blur shape guides (red).
A. Beginning point for the path B. Curve point created while defining a path C. Endpoint for the path along with the blur amount wheel control
A. Blur shape guides
Using the Spin Blur effect, you can rotate and blur the image around one or more points. The spin blur is a radial blur measured in degrees. Photoshop lets you work with center points, blur size and shape, and other settings, all while viewing a live preview of the changes.
A. Original image B. Spin Blur (Blur Angle: 15°; Strobe Strength: 50%; Strobe Flashes: 2; Strobe Flash Duration: 10°) C. Spin Blur (Blur Angle: 60°; Strobe Strength: 100%; Strobe Flashes: 4; Strobe Flash Duration: 10°)
Follow these steps:
Strobe Flashes
Set the number of exposures of the virtual strobe flash light
Strobe Strength
Determine how much blurring is displayed between strobe flash exposures. Strobe Strength controls the balance between ambient light and the virtual strobe flash light.
No strobe effect is displayed if you set Strobe Strength to 0%; only continuous blur is shown. On the other hand, when you set Strobe Strength to 100%, the strobe flashes are produced in full strength but no continuous blur is displayed between flash exposures. Intermediate Strobe Strength values produce a mixture of individual strobe flashes along with continuous blur.
Strobe Flash Duration
Lets you specify, in degrees, the length of a strobe flash exposure. Strobe Flash Duration controls the length of the blur for each flash exposure in terms of angular distance along the circumference.
You can disable preview from the blur tool Options bar.
Photoshop automatically blends effects of multiple spin blurs defined for an image.
Overlay controls depicted in the illustration below are available for the Spin Blur effect.
A. Rotation point B. Blur ring C. Feather handles D. Ellipse handles
You can enhance the overall image, by controlling the appearance of out-of-focus or blurred parts. Specify the bokeh parameters to ensure an overall pleasing effect.
In the Blur Effects panel, specify a value for the following:
Light Bokeh
Brightens the out-of-focus, or blurred areas in the picture.
Bokeh Color
Adds more vivid color to lightened areas that are not blown out to white.
Light Range
Determines the range of tones the settings affect.
Sometimes, after applying a Blur Gallery effect, you may notice that the blurred area of the image looks synthetic or unnatural. You can restore noise/grain to such a blurred image area to give it a more realistic appearance.
After using blur controls to achieve the initial effect, follow these steps to restore noise:
Once you specify the settings for a noise type, Photoshop remembers it if you switch back and forth between noise types. For example, when you switch from Grain-type noise to Gaussian-type noise and then back to Grain-type noise.
The blur effects in the Blur Gallery now support Smart Objects and can be applied non-destructively as Smart Filters. This feature also supports Smart Object video layers. To apply a Blur Gallery effect as a Smart Filter:
In the Layers panel, select a Smart Object layer.
Choose Filter > Blur Gallery, and then choose the appropriate effect.
For more information about Smart Filters, see Apply Smart Filters.
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