Select the layer you want to blur in the Layers panel.
Last updated on
Oct 4, 2026
Learn how to apply Field Blur, Iris Blur, or Tilt-Shift tools with on-image controls to simulate camera lens effects in Adobe Photoshop on desktop.
Add realistic blyr effects using the depth-of-field tools in Blur Gallery. These mimic shallow depth of field from professional camera lenses, regardless of your original camera settings.
Blur Gallery provides three depth-of-field tools:
- Field Blur: Use it for gradient blurs across the image
- Iris Blur: Use it for elliptical focus areas
- Tilt-Shift: Use it for linear focus zones
Each tool uses interactive pins that you place directly on your image to control blur intensity and focus areas. After applying blur, you can enhance the effect with bokeh controls and restore realistic grain to blurred areas.
All Blur Gallery effects provide full-size live preview while you work and can be applied as Smart Filters for non-destructive editing.
Access Blur Gallery tools
Select Filter > Blur Gallery and choose Field Blur, Iris Blur, or Tilt-Shift.
Photoshop places a default blur pin on your image and opens the Blur Tools panel. The image displays a live preview that updates as you adjust settings.
Press M to view the blur mask. Black areas show unblurred regions, while lighter tones indicate blur intensity.
Apply Field Blur for gradient effects
With Field Blur active, select anywhere on the image to add a blur pin at that location.
Select a pin to select it, then drag the outer blur ring to adjust intensity, or enter a value in the Blur Tools panel.
Add multiple pins with different blur amounts to create graduated blur effects across the image.
Drag any pin to reposition it or select a pin and press Delete to remove it.
Field Blur combines all pin values to create the final effect. You can place pins outside the image boundaries to apply blur at the corners.
Apply Iris Blur for elliptical focus
With Iris Blur active, Photoshop places a default elliptical pin on the image.
Drag the inner ring to define the sharp focus area.
Drag the outer ring to control where the blur reaches full strength.
Drag the four outer handles to reshape the ellipse and reposition the focus area.
Adjust blur intensity by dragging the blur ring or entering a value in the Blur Tools panel.
Select elsewhere on the image to add additional Iris Blur pins for multiple focus areas.
The area inside the inner ring remains sharp, the zone between rings gradually transitions from sharp to blurred, and the area beyond the outer ring shows full blur intensity.
Apply Tilt-Shift for linear focus
With Tilt-Shift active, Photoshop places parallel lines across the image.
- Drag the solid center line to reposition the sharp focus band.
- Drag the dashed lines to adjust the width of the transition zones between sharp and blurred areas.
- Drag the outer solid lines to define where full blur begins.
Rotate the entire effect by dragging the circular handles at the line ends.
Adjust blur intensity using the blur ring or the Blur Tools panel.
Tilt-Shift creates a linear band of sharpness with gradual blur transitions above and below, useful for simulating miniature photography effects or emphasizing horizontal subjects.
Enhance blur with bokeh effects
After defining your blur, use the Blur Effects panel to control how out-of-focus areas render. These settings affect the overall aesthetic quality of blurred regions:
- Light Bokeh: Brightens out-of-focus highlights to create more prominent light circles
- Bokeh Color: Adds saturation to brightened areas without blowing them to pure white
- Light Range: Controls which tonal values are affected by the bokeh adjustments
Adjust these sliders to achieve more pleasing, camera-like blur characteristics that enhance rather than flatten your image.
Restore grain to blurred areas
In the Blur Effects panel, select the Noise tab.
Verify the checkbox in the top-right corner is selected to enable noise restoration.
Choose a noise type: Uniform, Gaussian, or Grain.
Adjust the Amount slider to match the grain level in unblurred areas of your image.
For Grain type, adjust Size to control particle dimensions and Roughness to vary grain regularity.
Adjust the Color slider to control grain saturation or set it to zero for monochromatic noise.
Use the Highlight slider to reduce noise in bright areas if needed.
Restoring grain prevents blurred areas from looking artificially smooth. This technique works with all Blur Gallery effects, including path blur and spin blur.
Photoshop remembers your settings for each noise type. When you switch between Uniform, Gaussian, and Grain, your previous values are preserved.
Apply blur as a Smart Filter
For non-destructive workflows, convert your layer to a Smart Object before applying Blur Gallery effects. In the Layers panel, select the layer and select Convert to Smart Object. Then, access Blur Gallery normally through Filter > Blur Gallery. The blur applies as a Smart Filter, letting you adjust or disable it anytime without permanently altering the original pixels. This approach also works with Smart Object video layers.
Finalize and apply the effect
Review your blur effect using the full-size live preview.
Make any final adjustments to pin positions, blur intensity, bokeh settings, or noise restoration.
Select OK in the options bar to apply the blur effect to your layer.
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