How To Blur Background

Background blur is a great way to make sure your subject is the focal point of your image. Since we can't always control the background of a frame (especially crowds), blurring it to create the feel of a shallow depth of field is a great way to make sure that it's not competing for your viewer's focus. The blur tool can make this process a breeze.

You can use blurring to soften a selection or an image, to retouch a photo, or to remove noise in an image. The Blur commands smooth transitions and decrease contrast by averaging the pixels near the edges and near areas of significant color transitions. You can apply any of the Blur commands multiple times to the same image to increase the blurring effect.

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To apply blurring based on nearby pixel intensity:

1. Install PaintShop Pro

To install PaintShop Pro photo editing software on your PC, download and run the installation file above. Continue following on-screen instructions to complete the setup process.

2. Apply Average Blur

Choose Adjust > Blur > Average. The Average dialog box appears.

3. Set Filter aperture

Type or set a value in the Filter aperture control. Values range from 3 to 31 in odd-numbered increments. The higher the value, the greater the blur. Click OK.

To apply minimal blurring:

2. Apply Blur

Choose Adjust > Blur > Blur. To double the effect, choose the command again.

To apply moderate blurring:

2. Apply Blur More

Choose Adjust > Blur > Blur More. To double the effect, choose the command again.

To apply Gaussian blurring:

2. Apply Gaussian Blur

Choose Adjust > Blur > Gaussian Blur. The Gaussian Blur dialog box appears.

3. Adjust the Radius

Type or set a value in the Radius control to specify the distance (radius) within which dissimilar pixels are blurred. Values range from 0.00 to 100.00. Click OK.

To apply motion blurring:

2. Apply Motion Blur

Choose Adjust > Blur > Motion Blur. The Motion Blur dialog box appears.

3. Set an angle

In the Angle group box, drag the angle dial, or type or set a value in the control, to set an angle from which the blurring is applied.

4. Control the strength

Type or set a value in the Strength control. Values range from 1 to 100%. Lower values lessen the effect; higher values intensify the effect. Click OK.

To apply radial blurring:

2. Apply Radial Blur

Choose Adjust > Blur > Radial Blur. The Radial Blur dialog box appears.

3. Pick a Blur Type

In the Blur Type group box, choose one of the following options:

Spin — blurs pixels circularly around the image center
Zoom — blurs pixels away from the center
Twirl — blurs pixels in a spiraling manner. You can set the degree of the twirl by typing or setting a value in the Twirl degrees control.

4. Set the Strength

In the Blur group box, type or set a value in the Strength control.

Lower values lessen the effect; higher values intensify the effect.

If you need to squeeze the radius to fit the image, mark the Elliptical check box. This option produces elliptical blurring on rectangular images and has no effect on square images. Circular blurring is produced when the check box is unmarked.

5. Adjust the Center

In the Center group box, type or set a value in the following controls to affect the center of the image:

Horizontal offset % — lets you set the horizontal center point of the blur
Vertical offset % — lets you set the vertical center point of the blur
Protect center % — lets you determine how much to diminish blurring at the image center. Higher values increase the radius of the unblurred center area.

Click OK.

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