Photoshop Field Blur Tutorial

Photoshop CS6 Mistiness Gallery – Field Blur

In this Photograph Retouch tutorial, nosotros look at Field Blur, the get-go of three brand new blur filters in Photoshop CS6! Field Blur, along with Iris Blur and Tilt-Shift (the other new mistiness filters) are found in the Mistiness Gallery, besides new in CS6.

Each of these filters gives us a different manner to add a blur effect to a photo, but as we'll encounter in these tutorials, Field Mistiness, Iris Blur and Tilt-Shift have one big advantage in common - they give us amazing control over the outcome considering they don't simply apply uniform blurring across the entire paradigm. Instead, they allow united states to easily arrange and fine-melody the blur amount in specific areas, and they practice it without the need for layer masks!

In this beginning tutorial, we'll larn all aboout Field Mistiness. Hither's the photograph I'll exist working with:

The original photo. Image licensed from Fotolia by Photoshop Essentials.com

The original image.

Before we go any further, let's have a quick look at my Layers panel where nosotros come across that I'one thousand currently working on a re-create of my original prototype. I created the copy by pressing Crtl+J (Win) / Command+J (Mac) on my keyboard, which duplicated the Background layer. This way, the original photo, sitting safely on the Background layer, will remain untouched and unharmed while I employ the blur upshot to the copy on Layer ane:

The Layers panel showing a copy of the original image on Layer 1. Image © 2012 Photoshop Essentials.com

Working on a copy of the prototype (Layer 1) to avoid irresolute the original (Background layer).

Selecting The Field Blur Filter

To access the Field Blur filter, become upward to the Filter menu in the Carte du jour Bar along the top of the screen, choose Mistiness from the listing, and then choose Field Blur:

Selecting Field Blur from the Filter menu in Photoshop CS6. Image © 2012 Photoshop Essentials.com

Go to Filter > Blur > Field Blur.

The Blur Gallery

This opens the Blur Gallery which temporarily replaces the standard interface in Photoshop CS6. The Blur Gallery is made upwards more often than not of a large preview area where we work on our image, and if you look forth the right, y'all'll find a couple of panels. The top 1 is the main Mistiness Tools console where we notice the controls and options for the Field Mistiness, Iris Mistiness and Tilt-Shift filters. Beneath information technology is the Blur Effects panel which gives united states a few extra options for adding bokeh furnishings to the mistiness. We're going to skip the Blur Effects console for now because we don't need information technology to add our main blur effect.

Since I selected Field Blur from the Filter menu, the Blur Tools panel automatically opens to the Field Blur options:

The Blur Gallery set to the Field Blur options in Photoshop CS6. Image © 2012 Photoshop Essentials.com

The Blur Gallery in Photoshop CS6, with the Blur Tools console open to the Field Mistiness options.

Working With Pins

If we look at my epitome in the preview area, we observe two things. Commencement, the unabridged photo has an initial blurring effect applied to it, and it's practical uniformly across the entire image, similar to what we'd get with one of Photoshop's more than traditional blur filters similar Gaussian Blur. The second and more interesting thing we notice is a foreign looking circular icon. This icon is known as a pin. It's called a pin because nosotros "pivot" it to the epitome. Photoshop automatically adds an initial pin for us, simply we tin pin multiple copies of this icon to different areas of the image. Why would nosotros do that? Nosotros'll get to that in a moment:

An initial pin appears on the image with Field Blur selected in the Blur Gallery. Image © 2012 Photoshop Essentials.com

Photoshop places an initial pin on the paradigm for the states.

This initial pin that Photoshop adds is actually controlling the amount of blur that's existence applied to the paradigm. How does it work? Well, the outer ring of the pin acts very much similar a volume dial on a stereo or amplifier. To increase the music'due south volume, nosotros'd plough the dial clockwise, and to plough the music downwards, we'd turn the punch counterclockwise. In this case, instead of adjusting sound volume, we're controlling the amount of blurring, but it works the same way. Nosotros just need to turn the dial. Only move your mouse cursor over the outer ring, then click and with your mouse button held downwardly, drag your mouse either clockwise or counterclockwise to plow the dial. Dragging clockwise volition increment the mistiness amount, while dragging counterclockwise will decrease it. Photoshop volition show yous a live preview of the issue as yous drag:

Rotating the pin to increase or decrease the blur amount. Image © 2012 Photoshop Essentials.com

Click and drag to rotate the outer band and adjust the blur amount.

The Blur Slider

If the "book dial" control doesn't entreatment to you lot, you can also adjust the mistiness amount using the more than traditional Blur slider in the Field Blur section of the Blur Tools console. The Blur slider and the pin are tied to each other so adjusting one automatically adjusts the other. Information technology makes no difference which one you lot use. As with the pin, Photoshop will give you lot a live preview of the result as you drag the Blur slider left or right:

Controlling the amount of the blur with the Blur slider. Image © 2012 Photoshop Essentials.com

You can apply either the pivot or the Blur slider to control the amount of blurring.

Hither's what my epitome looks similar in the preview expanse with my mistiness amount set up to 18px:

The image with the blur amount set to 18px in the Blur Gallery. Image © 2012 Photoshop Essentials.com

The initial blur event.

Moving Pins

So far, then good, except that all I've managed to do up to this indicate is apply the same amount of blurring to the unabridged photo. What if I want to change the mistiness amount in a specific expanse? For instance, the adult female's optics should not be blurred. They demand to remain sharp, and then how do I reduce the blur corporeality over only her optics? With the new Field Blur filter, it'due south easy. I simply need to add some other pivot!

Before I exercise that, though, I'm offset going to move my initial pin out of the way. We can movement pins around simply by clicking on the center of them and, with the mouse push held downwardly, dragging them to a different spot over the image. I'll elevate the pin upward higher and then it's away from her eyes:

Dragging the initial pin away from the woman's eyes in the photo. Image © 2012 Photoshop Essentials.com

Cllick and drag pins to move them around.

Adding More than Pins

To add a new pivot, move your mouse cursor over the spot where you lot desire to place it. Your cursor will change into a pin icon with a plus sign ( + ) abreast it, letting you know you're most to add a new pin. In my case, since I want to adjust the blur corporeality over the woman's eyes, I'll motility my cursor over the eye on the left:

Adding a new Field Blur pin to the image. Image © 2012 Photoshop Essentials.com

Move your mouse cursor into place.

Then, simply click and the new pivot appears! Notice that the initial pin is still there but is no longer displaying the outer ring around it. That's considering even though both pins are having an consequence on the image, we can only conform one pivot at a time, so only the pivot that'due south currently active (the new pin I but added) displays the outer punch:

A second pin has been added to the image. Image © 2012 Photoshop Essentials.com

When two or more pins are added, only the active pin displays the outer control dial.

With my new pivot over the woman's eye, I tin remove the blurring in that expanse of the paradigm either by dragging the pin's outer ring counterclockwise or by dragging the Blur slider in the Blur Tools panel to the left until the blur amount is at 0. Here, I'thousand dragging the pivot's outer dial. The blurring effect under and around this second pin has now been removed, while the area closer to the initial pivot higher upward in the image still has the mistiness effect applied:

Lowering the blur amount with the second pin. Image © 2012 Photoshop Essentials.com

Each pivot is decision-making the blur amount in a different role of the image.

I'll do the same thing with the other eye, clicking on it to add a third pivot to the image, then dragging the outer dial counterclockwise to set the mistiness amount to 0. Both optics are now once once more nice and sharp, just as they were originally, while the mistiness effect remains around the pin at the top of the prototype. With each new pivot we add, we gain more control over the strength of the blur in different areas of the photo:

Bringing back the sharpness in the eyes with two additional pins. Image © 2012 Photoshop Essentials.com

Each new pin controls the mistiness amount of the area under and around it.

What if I want to go back and re-adjust the initial pin? No problem! I merely need to click on it to re-activate information technology, which will once again display its outer command ring, and then I can elevate the ring (or the Blur slider in the Blur Tools panel) to increase or decrease the mistiness corporeality in that part of the photo. It'south important to note that at this point, we're not making any permanent, physical changes to the image. Photoshop is simply giving us a alive preview of what the blur upshot volition look like:

Re-activating and adjusting the initial pin. Image © 2012 Photoshop Essentials.com

Click on any pin to re-activate it and make further changes.

Here, I'm adding a 4th pin just below her shoulder to add some blurring and softening in that area, rotating the outer dial clockwise to increase blurring. Y'all tin add as many pins as y'all similar to gain equally much fine-tune control over the blur issue as you demand:

Placing a fourth Field Blur pin on the image. Image © 2012 Photoshop Essentials.com

Adjusting the blur effect in the lower left of the photo by adding another new pin.

And equally ane more example, I'll click and add together a fifth pin just in a higher place her mouth, and then I'll rotate its outer ring counterclockwise to bring back some of the original sharpness in the lower office of her confront:

Placing a fifth Field Blur pin on the image. Image © 2012 Photoshop Essentials.com

The Field Blur filter makes fine adjustments like this both quick and like shooting fish in a barrel.

Temporarily Hiding The Pins

The only problem with these pins is that they tend to clutter upwards the epitome, making it difficult to meet the effect underneath. We can temporarily hide the pins by pressing and holding the H key on the keyboard (recollect "H' for "Hibernate"). With the key held down, the pins disappear. Release the key and they re-appear:

Temporarily hiding the pins from the image. Image © 2012 Photoshop Essentials.com

Printing and hold the H key to hibernate the pins and estimate the results.

Yous can also compare your work-in-progress with the original un-blurred version at any time by unchecking the Preview option at the tiptop of the Mistiness Gallery. With Preview unchecked, the original paradigm appears. Click inside its checkbox again to turn Preview dorsum on and switch back to the blurred version. Or, you can printing the letter P on your keyboard to speedily cycle the Preview option on and off:

The Preview option in the Blur Gallery in Photoshop CS6. Image © 2012 Photoshop Essentials.com

Compare the original and blurred versions by turning Preview on and off.

Removing Pins

To remove an unwanted pin, click on information technology to go far active, then press Backspace (Win) / Delete (Mac) on your keyboard. Or, if yous want to clear away all the pins at once and start over, click the Remove All Pins icon at the peak of the Mistiness Gallery (directly to the right of the Preview option):

The Remove All Pins option in the Blur Gallery in Photoshop CS6. Image © 2012 Photoshop Essentials.com

Use the Remove All Pins options to delete all the pins at once.

Applying The Blur Event To The Prototype

Finally, when you're washed adding, adjusting and moving pins and you're happy with the results, either click the OK button at the height of the Blur Gallery or press Enter (Win) / Render (Mac) on your keyboard. This will apply the mistiness effect to the paradigm and exit you out of the Blur Gallery:

Clicking the OK button to commit the blur effect to the image. Image © 2012 Photoshop Essentials.com

Clicking the OK push button to commit the mistiness result.

And that's all there is to it! Hither, for comparison, is my original photo once again:

The original photo. Image licensed from Fotolia by Photoshop Essentials.com

The original prototype.

And here, later adding a few more pins around the image, is my final outcome:

Photoshop CS6 Field Blur tutorial image. © 2012 Photoshop Essentials.com

The final upshot.

And there nosotros accept it! That'south how to easily utilise different amounts of blurring to specific areas of an image using the new Field Blur filter in Photoshop CS6! Bank check out our Photo Retouching section for more Photoshop prototype editing tutorials!