Apply spin blur effects in the Blur Gallery

Spin blur creates radial motion by rotating and blurring pixels around one or more center points, simulating rotational camera movement or spinning subjects. This procedure applies rotational blur measured in angular degrees around the centre points you define. The effect works with both single and multiple blur points, and provides a full-size live preview while you adjust settings. For depth-of-field blur effects that simulate shallow focus, use Field blur, Iris blur, and Tilt-Shift options in the Blur Gallery. For directional motion blur along custom paths, use Path blur.

Configure spin blur settings

You can disable the live preview by deselecting the preview option in the Blur tool options bar. Photoshop automatically blends effects when you define multiple spin blur points in a single image.

Understanding strobe settings

• Motion Blur Effects controls let you simulate the appearance of a strobe flash fired during rotational movement, creating distinct frozen moments within the overall blur.
• Strobe Flashes determines how many individual flash exposures appear in the blur trail. Higher values create multiple visible repetitions of the rotating subject.
• Strobe Strength balances ambient light blur with flash-frozen moments. At 0%, you see only continuous rotational blur with no strobe effect. At 100%, the strobe flashes appear at full strength with no continuous blur between them. Values between 0% and 100% blend both effects.
• Strobe Flash Duration controls the angular length of each individual flash exposure, measured in degrees along the circular rotation path. This setting determines how much blur appears within each strobe flash itself. Lower values create sharper frozen moments, while higher values add blur to each flash.

Working with overlay controls

• Spin Blur interface provides on-canvas controls for precise adjustment of blur placement and coverage.
• Rotation point defines the centre of the radial blur effect. By default, it appears centered within the blur ring. To reposition the rotation point off-center, press Alt-drag (Windows) or Opt-drag (macOS) the point to a new location. This technique helps when working with subjects photographed at an angle.
• Blur ring displays the overall blur boundary and provides a visual handle for adjusting blur intensity. Hover near a selected blur point to display the blur amount wheel control, which offers an alternative to the Blur Angle slider in the panel.
• Feather handles control the transition between blurred and unblurred areas, letting you create soft edges around the effect boundaries.
• Ellipse handles appear at the edges of the blur boundary. Drag any handle to resize the ellipse uniformly and adjust which portions of the image receive the spin blur treatment.

Managing multiple blur points

To add a new spin blur, select any location in the image. Each blur point operates independently with its own rotation center and settings.

To duplicate an existing spin blur with its current settings, press Alt + Ctrl-drag (Windows) or Opt + Cmd-drag (macOS) the blur point to a new location. To delete a spin blur, select the blur point and press Delete. Press H to temporarily hide all overlay controls and view your image without visual guides.

Apply Blur Gallery effects to Smart Objects to work non-destructively. This preserves your original image and lets you adjust or remove the blur effect later without quality loss.