Adobe Community: How to blur the background, CS2.

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Dec 23, 2006

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1. Noel Carboni,

Jun 18, 2012 6:22 AM in reply to kushaldeep chaujar

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The obvious way is to shoot with a large aperture / higher focal length lens and set the depth of field by choosing an appropriate f/stop.

Assuming you already have an image where the background is within the DOF (i.e., everything's in focus), what you want can be accomplished, but it's not trivial to do, and it gets MUCH easier in Photoshop CS5 and newer because of two new functions (Refine Edge and Content Aware Fill).

Generally speaking, you can do it something like this:

1. Select just the subjects you want to remain in focus.

2. Make a new layer using the selection as a mask (Refine Edge in the newer Photoshop helps with this).

3. Fill the subjects in the lower layer with stuff that looks like the background.

4. Lens Blur the lower layer.

That sounds simple, but the devil is in the details.

-Noel

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2. c.pfaffenbichler,

Jun 18, 2012 8:16 AM in reply to Noel Carboni

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To elaborate on what Noel already explained:

If one has lifted part of an image onto its own layer simply lens blurring the underlying original layer will cause that part to be included in the blur result – therefore it may be necessary to effectively remove that (more or less completely) from the background before blurring (naturally best as a Smart Filter).

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3. Noel Carboni,

Jun 18, 2012 8:39 AM in reply to c.pfaffenbichler

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Whether one needs to use a smart filter or not is debatable. Some of us still like changing pixel values.

I just was playing around and found that the Ps CS6 Tilt/Shift Blur makes a very nice result for this kind of work. It shows the preview in context with the image, and the progressively stronger blurring can add a touch more realism if the background shows the ground that's progressively farther and farther away from the subjects.

Here's another example I did experimenting with that blur just now...

-Noel

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4. c.pfaffenbichler,

Jun 18, 2012 8:49 AM in reply to Noel Carboni

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Whether one needs to use a smart filter or not is debatable.

If you are your own boss and determine yourself when an image is finished there may be less reason to employ Smart Filters.

But when one has to factor in that a bunch of graphic designers, account managers, customers may change their mind about any aspect or detail of an image at any time they can prove pretty usefull.

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5. Noel Carboni,

Jun 18, 2012 8:52 AM in reply to c.pfaffenbichler

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c.pfaffenbichler wrote:

If you are your own boss and determine yourself when an image is finished there may be less reason to employ Smart Filters.

Very good point! It's good to be the boss.

-Noel

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6. kushaldeep chaujar,

Jun 20, 2012 11:06 AM in reply to Noel Carboni

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Thanks Noel,this was helpful.actually i tried this but the result was not good but today it was better,maybe coz my pc is slow and takes time to give the result and i thought nothing is happening but today i waited for a bit long and it happened.,,just coz you suggested it.But i use CS2 and can't afford CS5 etc so selecting minor detail is a headache,now i am trying to do with magnetic lasso.But there are other option like blade curvature,rotation etc which does not do anything,why?Thanks

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7. kushaldeep chaujar,

Jun 20, 2012 11:08 AM in reply to c.pfaffenbichler

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Thanks a lot Bro....but i do not have smart filters in CS2. I just have smart object which i do not know how to use or take its full benefit,Any help will be deeply appreciated.Thanks.

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8. Noel Carboni,

Jun 20, 2012 11:11 AM in reply to kushaldeep chaujar

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Yes, the devil is in the details with regard to making good masks.

-Noel

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9. Bill Hunt,

Jun 20, 2012 4:58 PM in reply to kushaldeep chaujar

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Even in CS2, you have great capabilities for creating a very good Mask. I like starting with a rough Selection, and then refining that with other Tools, including QuickMask, converting to a Path and using the Pen Tool - anything that helps me.

I have also used a rough Selection to Copy my subject, Pasting the subject into a new Layer. I then Scale up that Layer by a small amount, go back to the original Layer (could be Layer 01, if I renamed it from Background), and Blur it. I then use the Layer 02 Transparency (Load Selection>Layer 02 Transparency), and Save Selection>Layer 02 Layer Mask. I then refine that Layer Mask. That keeps things in an editable structure, even years later. The reason that I Scale up the subject (Layer 02) slightly is so that when I blur, no part of the blurred subject shows.

Good luck,

Hunt

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10. kushaldeep chaujar,

Jun 21, 2012 10:10 AM in reply to Bill Hunt

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Hi Bill,nice to see you!

You mean first roughly selecting it with a lasso tool then use quick mask etc?
But scaling up seems to be an good idea in cs2 and i will surely try that,thanks.

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How to blur the background, CS2.

Jun 18, 2012 5:16 AM

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