Blur the background

[indygal]

I'm wanting to blur the background of a portrait so that the person stands out. How would I do this?

[douglas m scott]

indygal,

Open picture in Editor
Crtl+j to make copy
Click on one of the Selection Tools (maybe one of the Lasso Tools) then before starting selection look just above work area and you will see feather window, if you have a large pixel image enter something like 8. Now make your Selection, when you get back to where you started click and you will get the marching ants.
Go up to Select>Inverse.
Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur move the slider to the right to increase Blur until you are satisfied with results.
click ok.

doug (plainfieldguy)

[walterplummer]

Hi, if you can access the members videos look up Layer Erasing for Effect from Sept. 4, 2007. Walt

[jjvera00]

Another way is to after you did Cntl+J to make a copy of your background, apply the gaussian blur to the entire layer.

Then click your erase tool and with a soft brush eraser your subject into focus, this will bring the bottom layer out, leaving the blurred background.

[jjvera00]

Another way is as follows:

1) Press Cntl+J to duplicate your background layer.
2) Then on the duplicate layer gaussian blur it to your satisfaction
3) Then click your background layer again and creat an adjustment layer, and select levels, then click OK (do not make any levels adjustment)
4) Your gaussian blurred layer should be above the newly created adjustment layer. Select the gaussian blurred layer, then press Cntl+G to link it to the adjustment layer below.
5) Select the adjustment layer, and then with a brush, paint with black to bring back the unblurred image, if you make a mistake, you can undo it by painting with white.

This is a little more complicated, but unlike the previous method where you erase, once you erase the pixels, they are gone. But here, you can "erase" the blurred image by painting in black, and "unerase" or "replace" by painting in white.

[Cmcburnett]

Johnny, very good tutorial. Thanks.

Here is another way you can blur/fade background that I like:
(1) Ctrl+J (to duplicate background, this will be the second layer from the bottom);
(2) Select of part of the image you want to stand out by using one of the selection tools and hit Ctrl+J to put selected area on its own layer (this will be 3rd layer from bottom;
(3) NOW, click back on the 2nd layer and create a new blank layer and fill w/white or whatever color is most suited for your photo and lower the opacity to show a bit of the original background. You can also blur a little if you’d like by blurring the background.

Here is a photo that used the technique on:
http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1qN5uNTw33huw8hFDQOyDVWInbMqR1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1qN5uNTw33huw8hFDQOyDVWInbMqR1)

[jjvera00]

Nice effect. Something I am certainly going to try.