Guide to Blurring a Photo (On Purpose) with Photoshop

I've worked with Photoshop and its effects on a regular basis for over eight years, quickly becoming the "go-to" expert for friends and family with photo retouching, enhancement, or other graphics needs. Over the years I've used a great deal of different Photoshop effects for different purposes, and have found ways to make utilizing the effects easier and more enjoyable for both the average and the advanced Photoshop user.

One particular photo effect is easy to create, but can have a spectacular dramatic effect in the right circumstances. This is great for folks who aren't too handy with a camera, but love to make photographs they can show off to their friends. I myself don't always know exactly how to get the shot I'm looking for, but thanks to my experience with Photoshop I'm able to cover up a multitude of sins. With this effect you'll be able to blur out the bad spots and focus on the good.

(Disclaimer: I've had people ask me complex questions about getting into the professional photography business. While I have friends in the profession and know that Photoshop is a necessary tool for the modern photographer, I'm not in the business, so I can't answer related questions; I just have a knack for retouching the photos of friends and family and am familiar with the workings of the program.)

The key starts with the shot itself. To get it to work, the subject you're taking a picture of needs to have the background in the distance. (An up-close background will ruin the effect, making it seem like something happened to your photo.) The effect centers on the subject him/her/itself, with the background blurring out (like with a single-reflex camera.) So take your photo, making sure the background is safely in the distance. A mostly solid color background, like the sky, will be even better.

Open the file in Photoshop and click on your "Blur" tool; look for the icon near the top-left of your computer that looks like a paintbrush (obviously). It will be visible from a fly-out menu attached to the "Tool" Palette. Find a brush size you're comfortable with (in other words, not too large or you'll make the photo look strange) and set your pressure to half power. Use the brush by applying it around everything surrounding your focused subject. If it doesn't look right, or if you think you overdid the effect (it should be easy to tell right away if you did) just go back and start over. Thankfully this effect is fairly forgiving, and even if you overdo it a little, sometimes it works for you.

You probably don't even have to take a photo specifically for the purpose of using this effect. Just look around your house for a photo you can scan into your computer, or browse through your cache of digital photos. If you don't have a scanner, there are stores that offer to scan your photos for you for a small fee. Maybe even a friend, co-worker or family member could help out using their own scanner.

It's a simple effect that can have a dramatic impact on your photo if you choose the right subject and background.