Please ...... Easy step by step background blur for CS3

swag72

swag72

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Sara
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All in the title really. This is driving me mad, I've tried many tutorials on the internet, they're crap. Can anyone please give a step by step guide (For idiots) on th easiest way to blur a background? Hopefully one that I can then action?

A BIG THANK YOU to anyone who can help me on this.
 
I'm sure some advocate using a selection and inversing etc etc but I find that too tiresome and not particularly effective.

if I were to do it I think I would make a duplicate layer and apply Gaussian Blur (or whatever type of blur you require) to it and then use a layer mask to bring back the subject.

Does that help?
 
Hacker said:
I'm sure some advocate using a selection and inversing etc etc but I find that too tiresome and not particularly effective.

if I were to do it I think I would make a duplicate layer and apply Gaussian Blur (or whatever type of blur you require) to it and then use a layer mask to bring back the subject.

Does that help?
Click to expand...

I'll second that, no point making things harder than they need to be.
 
Agree with the others, if you don't know how to do this let me know and i will post a tutorial :thumbs:
 
Duplicate layer, blur then user the eraser to get rid of the bits you don't want blurred? You can change the opacity of the blurred layer so you can see what you are doing.
 
TG. said:
Agree with the others, if you don't know how to do this let me know and i will post a tutorial :thumbs:
Click to expand...

TG, that would be fab if you don't mind. I have tried using this method, but seem to be missing something somewhere. I don't know, a button or a click makes all the difference. I am a total idiot, so please, step by step, press here and do this kind of thing would be just great. :thumbs::thumbs:
 
Ctrl+J to duplicate your background layer.

Switch off the eye on the background layer and select the copy layer. Do the gaussian blur filter. Switch on the background eye. Click back on the copied layer (which is now appropriately blurred). At the bottom of the layers palette click on the mask icon (second from left if my memory serves)

Click the brush tool, select black as foreground colour and paint over the areas you want to be sharp. Change between hard and soft brushes to get the best effect for your mask.

There are other ways to do this but I find this to be a quick n' dirty and pretty effective method unless the area needing to remain sharp is a very complex shape. You will need to use the selection tools then.
 
I looked at this thread and i got lost at the following stage.

Now select the top layer and turn the Eye icon back on and add a layer mask now using the brush tool and black paint you can reveal the blurrerd layer if you make a mistake change to white paint to reverse it.

How do I do this? As I said, I am an idiot in PS and I need step by step to be able to get it!
 
duplicate the picture in a layer palette by dragging the background picture to the "create new layer" symbol at the bottom of the layer palette

now select the top layer (the one you've just made) and then click the "add vector mask" (rectangular box with white circle) at the bottom of the layer palette. This will add a white box linked to the top layer picture.

Click on the top layer picture and add any blur you prefer (filter > blur)

Click on the new mask layer (the white box), then using a black brush, paint over the areas you want to be sharp, leaving those you want to remain blurred. Obviously you can make corrections to this by swapping to and from a black and white brush. Black makes the bottom image visible whilst the white keeps the mask intact and hides the bottom image.
 
What he said.This was something in PS that took me a while to get my head round. Play around to get the principle of it.
 
swag72 said:
TG, that would be fab if you don't mind. I have tried using this method, but seem to be missing something somewhere. I don't know, a button or a click makes all the difference. I am a total idiot, so please, step by step, press here and do this kind of thing would be just great. :thumbs::thumbs:
Click to expand...


You have PM :thumbs:
 
why would you duplicate the background? cant the gaussian blur be applied as an adjustment layer?
 
fletch5 said:
why would you duplicate the background? cant the gaussian blur be applied as an adjustment layer?
Click to expand...

Negative on that one. The point is to have two layers with the same image (background and background copy). If you create an adjustment layer you are doing something to the copyied layer you are creating, such as increasing saturation or whatever.

By having two identical layers you apply the blur filter to the top layer (background copy) and then create a layer mask. Use the paintbrush set to black and you reveal the layer underneath as desired. The layer underneath is the original (ie non blurred layer) so you have selective blur and sharpness wherever you want it.
 
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