It would be wise to deselect the Lock Transparent Pixels option in the Layers panel before you apply a blur filter. On the other hand, Blur More guarantees a more substantial blur effect on your selection. It facilitates smooth transitions by averaging the pixels’ color values next to the shaded areas and hard edges of defined lines. The blur effect focuses on eliminating noise in significant color transition regions. Blur and Blur Moreīlur filters are perfect for softening a selection and prove useful when retouching image elements. The average blur preset identifies the average color of your selection and fills it with that color for a smoother look.įor example, when you select a region with grass in the image, the filter transforms the area into a homogenous green patch. Photoshop Elements provides you with several blurs presets to help reduce sharpness intensities. What Types of Blurs Are Available in Photoshop Elements? Using your mouse, mask off the entire image except for the face.Īfter confirming that the edited image meets your preference, save your work. Configure the Radius between 2-4px and set Blending to Overlay. Reactivate the top layer by clicking the eye icon beside it and pressing Ctrl/Cmd + J for a duplicate.Ĭlick Filter, select Other, and choose High Pass. The final step when blurring an image’s background in Photoshop Elements is sharpening your subject’s face. Paint over the subject until you remove it entirely. To prevent compromising the quality of the final image, you’ll need to eliminate the subject from the blurred layer.Ĭlick the Clone Stamp Tool in the left toolbar while holding Alt to see the good parts in your image. I recommend setting a value of 36px to achieve more subject separation in your image. Then open Filter, select Blur and choose Gaussian Blur to begin blurring your image. The next step in our background blurring process is implementing the blur effect.Ĭlick on the eye icon in the second layer to reveal it. Select the gaps identified using the Polygonal Lasso Tool and hide them by painting black over them. Go to your new layer, zoom in, and observe for any gaps in the subject, like an unselected space between their legs or fingers. Using the Refine Radius tool, paint over the regions missed to include them in your selection.Īdjust the Feather to 1px and set New Layer with Layer Mask as Output To. The first selection achieved is a rough layout – you’ll need to refine the subject boundaries before proceeding.Ĭlick Refine Edge in the tool options and set View Mode to Overlay. Related: Lightroom vs Photoshop Elements.Make a rough selection around your subject using your mouse. Open the image and press Ctrl/Cmd + J to duplicate the layer.Ĭlick the Lasso tool on the left toolbar, and remember to set Feather to 0px in the Tool Options. The first thing is opening the image you want to work on in Photoshop Element’s editor window. I’ll show you how to blur an image’s background by manipulating layers in Photoshop Elements. How to Blur Background in Photoshop Elements?īlurring an image’s background gives it more depth while improving its final appeal. Using your mouse, draw around the background sections to blur and elect the blur filter on your screen’s top toolbar. You’ll need to hold down your mouse after clicking on the lasso tool to see the options available and select one. It would help to note that it’s entirely freehand. You can consider the quick mask tool when blurring your background for quick and more precise selection. You can opt for automatic selection by using the magnetic lasso tool. There’s the regular lasso or the polygonal lasso for straight-edged backgrounds. Photoshop Elements provides you with different versions of the tool for specific functionalities. The lasso tool is handy in several image manipulation techniques, including blurring the image.

Related: How to blur background in Lightroom.

You’ll need to adjust the blur effect’s strength before blurring. This tool is among the most straightforward approaches to consider when blurring backgrounds.Īfter clicking on the raindrop icon, you’ll use the brush tool to make a selection on the image. It’s located in the left toolbar and has a teardrop-shaped icon, which many confuse for a rain effect button. Photoshop Elements has a blur tool to reduce the sharpness in different sections of your image. Here are some tools I frequently interact with to achieve the desired background effect in my images. It has advanced features like AI integration, making even the most complex image manipulations seem less challenging.

The software eliminates all the complexities and the steep learning curve. What Tools Can You Use in Photoshop Elements to Blur Background?Īdobe’s Photoshop Elements is the perfect software for creating, editing, and designing pictures.

Lens blur photoshop