Best way to Blur background in Photoshop 2023

[@photoshopcafe]

Written steps here: photoshopcafe.com/how-to-blur-the-background-of-a-photo-in-photoshop-the-pro-way/

[@donmartiin]

quick correction: 2:30 to load selection CTRL instead of ALT. thanks for the tutorial!

[@jlwilliams]

Instead of using multiple field blur points, you can create a graduated blur in one step by using the tilt/shift blur tool in Blur Gallery. Put the center point on the center of your desired sharp area, move the dotted line to define the zone of sharpness, then move the solid line to define where the maximum blur kicks in. This gives a realistic depth-of-field simulation that you can control.

[@dr.nilampatel4543]

Thank you so much for your lovely guidance....

[@laurataylor8919]

Just had a successful trial. Just one point I had to use command and hover to load selection to background. I am going to enjoy using this technique. Many thanks

[@robmowe8090]

Really liked this. I was using gaussian blur to do this and then graduating that using a mask and some speculative brushing but this seems a whole lot easier and more controlled. Thank you

[@handfp]

Duplicating the background before blurring (using this technique) and then applying a graduated mask can still be useful if the background needs to be blurred "at an angle" i.e. a wall that runs diagonally into the distance.

[@photoshopcafe]

Thanks

[@gordonhutchinson2949]

Great useful tip...

[@JH-qv3xv]

The EXPAND tip is now making all the difference. Thanks

[@photoshopcafe]

Glad to help

[@2creativo11]

Always happy to stop by and learn from you. Thanks for this quickie!

[@meeno_the_man]

Nicely done. Clean and concise.

[@timoteiafanasie4894]

Good tip, as always. Thank you!

[@MrDennisk4]

Great video Colin on the neat way to blur background & have to say in my view that yours are the Best Tutorials of PhotoShop/Lightroom online!

[@larsthufvesson9725]

Thanks Colin - you made my day! It was really good to have full control of the blur.

[@williamcollins5417]

Much better than my way...great video...thanks...

[@richardbender3784]

Good video that adds realism to the photo

[@nls3081]

many thanks, i had no idea about Extend selection !

[@biancadupont2931]

thank you so much I have been looking for this type of tutorial on blur :)

[@mrbob8695]

You're always, always a great teacher

[@alanm.6096]

Excellent description of avoiding the halo edges. Thanks Colin. So many places to utilize those tools, especially when doing composites.

[@photoshopcafe]

Glad it was helpful!

[@_the_ordinary]

This is best video I’ve seen on this subject. Thank you!

[@jrfsailing07]

Thank You! Excellent video!

[@MrDavidsdale1]

Best explanation, thank you

[@bobm2410]

Love it! Great job, Colin

[@edmundhayes7982]

Great tutorial

[@juanitarodriguez193]

Great video! This helped me with my photo editing homework. You won a new subscriber!

[@bibianaramirezflorez5202]

Excellent tutorial. Thanks 👌👍

[@shlomoeshet8525]

Beautifully explained✨✨Well done, Colin🏆🏆

[@photoshopcafe]

THX

[@kokoreply]

this is so helpful! thank you for sharing great tips

[@valdemarcaballero5298]

Fantastic video!!! i liked the FIELD BLUR!!!

[@bobkillen8396]

Wahoo! This will improve my use of bokeh blur projects and make the work flow much more predictable.

[@photoshopcafe]

Glad to help

[@goldfinch2283]

Really good and useful tutorial! Thanks 🙏.

[@kerrynbuckley4878]

Excellent video Colin, thank you. Love learning new tools in Photoshop.

[@photoshopcafe]

Very welcome

[@ladydayification]

Yeah, again great! I haven't used this tool before. I mostly use the Gaussian Blur and others.

[@chrisinformation]

Perfect! Thank you!

[@ziaulmonsur]

Thank you so much for your nice presentation on completely new tutorial on blur works. It has definitely given a new lesson in using blur tools in a magical way different from most other tutorials.

[@Zennubehanimcim]

This was super simple and helpful

[@ahmedsuleiman1130]

Spot on usage on blurring background without it affecting the subject. Field blur is somehow underrated in Photoshop instead of gaussian blur. Thanks Photoshop Cafe for this succinct tutorial.

[@wds525]

That's why I love shooting at f/1.4. This is a great video! I've been playing around with neural filters and depth maps, but it's still a bit confusing to me. This video is clear and straight to the point. Thank you. Regards from Portugal.

[@sandykreit1752]

Excellent!

[@jshetley2]

Awesome video - so helpful. Thank you!

[@markcasebeer8273]

This is exactly the way I like to add blur to a background. I do add one more step. I create a copy of the original first. Then after blurring and merging the 2 layers I can use the mask tool to clean up and loose ends. Sometimes this mask may miss little portions (hair as an example.) Thanks for another great video.

[@RVSquaredSteve]

AWESOME as always, Colin!!

[@photoshopcafe]

Thanks again!

[@norbertalexy8803]

Brilliant, Colin! Thank you for this extremely effective way of creating a clean and graduated blur. - It's a bit as if you change aperture in post...

[@photoshopcafe]

Glad it was helpful!

[@pianoman1973]

Awesome tutorial !!

[@charlesfleischman1194]

This is a keeper. Thanks

[@photoshopcafe]

It's my main way of doing it

[@leeromi1708]

After watching so many "easy" videos, yours IS THE easiest, simplest, and shortest video. Thank you

[@photoshopcafe]

Thanks, I try to keep it on topic :)

[@sashsegal9376]

Very useful. Thank you.

[@iosmusicman]

Brilliant Colin. Thanks. Lee

[@ismagine]

Subscribed! Very spot on tutorial and instructions.

[@photoshopcafe]

Thanks for the sub!

[@Gamesoupphoto]

Great advice

[@veselinvasilev9362]

Thanks!

[@Steven.v1062]

Thanks

[@dough63]

I agree with the other comments. Every other video I have seen says to use Gaussian Blur and nobody explains how to use field or tilt. Thank you very much!!!

[@katigore1]

Fantastic! Great instructions with clear steps!

[@photoshopcafe]

Thanks, glad to help

[@aantiles]

Awesome~~.. I love the.. I am going to show you how to do it RIGHT NOW.. and that is true.. others say that, and still go around with other confusing explanations.

[@marecdigital4891]

Thank you sir!

[@vrcil]

Dear Colin Smith Very interesting tutorial. I learned better how to blur background. Although I would separate the background using a similar method. Anyway, thank you very much and happy Easter✌

[@terrykellyphotography6171]

Thank you for this awesome video!

[@photoshopcafe]

Glad to help

[@onefortexas2379]

Love it, Thank you.

[@garyhook6583]

Good session Colin, thanks so much. Rather ironic that right after the "avoid this common mistake" section is the 'common mistake' of saying to use Alt/Opt instead of Ctrl/Comd to reselect the selection. Took me a few times to crack the code and your thoughtful addition of the written steps link lists the correct key strokes. Love the fact you do a great job of highlighting the steps at a user friendly pace! Thank you

[@photoshopcafe]

Lol yes irony indeed

[@anitarajputani]

Thanks , easy and controlled

[@Bensinkvitto]

Really good video; thanks for sharing your knowledge. Good production as well. I first replicated the steps and also used 8-pixel expansion when removing the subject. This did, however, it resulted in a "blurry aura", so a general tip so to try with 1-3 pixels when removing the subject.

[@learningmadefun8246]

Good job

[@FranHoganPanama]

Great information. thank you!!

[@stevejarvis186]

Thanks for this video Colin; I was recently working on some wedding photos of my daughters wedding last September. The photographer who photographed everything on the day used one of the top of the range Sony cameras, and every part of all of the photos were tack sharp. I wanted to blur the background on some of these but used all the wrong methods you showed here. Thank to you I now know a better way of doing it and can correct all of my work. Cheers and Happy Easter from the UK.

[@photoshopcafe]

Glad it was helpful!

[@alanplatt888]

I loved it. I had been using FS background blur. Your method looks superior.

[@johndoddato2662]

Thanks for the great video. At the time of 2:38 on your video you state Option key for the Mac computer to load the selection. That didn't work for me but the Command key did.

[@photoshopcafe]

I apologize for saying the wrong command, it happens sometimes when I'm working and talking at the same time. I fixed it in the written steps.

[@bridgetwasson7541]

When I tried holding down the alt key and hovering over the cut out layer I made, a square didn't appear. But I tried holding down the ctrl key and that did work. Just wanted to let you know and anyone else that had the same problem I did. I love your videos btw. Helps me learn new things that'll help when I work.

[@takashirochidori4923]

Yes. I have the same problem.

[@harrisongould9460]

You're a genius...thanks of the tip. I will have to come back here to remember cause I ain't remembering this.

[@photoshopcafe]

Don’t forget to subscribe to remind you, if you haven’t already

[@leniehulse1621]

Nice Colin! ❤

[@photoshopcafe]

I am nice :)

[@hayabusaTravels]

Nice one, but I belive that using depth map yields much better results.

[@takashirochidori4923]

Hi Colin, Very nice video and very helpful. But worked until I select the "subject" and expanded by 10 voxel, then I could not bring out the "Content Aware window by using "Shift+ Del" buttons. I looked all options on the top and could not find where I can choose this option. Maybe I didn't select the right layer? Thank you for answering me. Lu

[@plugh42trident]

If you were using the beta version would you use the remove tool rather than the content aware fill?

[@evanoscargilbert2592]

Great job

[@photoshopcafe]

Thanks

[@Just_because998]

Hi Colin, Great tip again. When you chose 8 pixels for expansion, is that the most optimal that you found or depends on the image and how much field blur is being targeted. Would love to know. Thanks again for all the cool and informative tips in your videos.

[@photoshopcafe]

It depends on the image. You want just enough to get a clean edge around the image without going too far. I chose this number because of the resolution on the image and the hair. If it wasn't for the hair, I would have used 5. For higher resolution, you will use larger numbers and lower resolution, you will use smaller numbers. You will have to experiment and see what works for you, but generally 5-10 works for most things.

[@Just_because998]

@@photoshopcafe Thanks Colin, this helps.

[@terrymcgovern6846]

I have long used field blur this way for shadows, but recently I have been using the beta neural filter "Depth blur." I think it works great, but I'd like your thoughts.

[@terrymcgovern6846]

Depth blur for backgrounds, not for shadows, in case I didn't make that clear...

[@photoshopcafe]

Depth blur works great, I have also made a tutorial on it

[@CHHATRAPHULARA]

this is what i was searching for...

[@hey.shannon]

Ok so, it's pretty impractical to try and get every hair in your selection right? So what do you if the subject is bald? How do you select their whole head without missing any sections or leaving parts of the background unblurred?

[@sbur-vr9ft]

How do you solve for missing the little details like stray hairs of your subject?

[@davidbailey1689]

Hi Colin. It works for me up until I have the Background layer selected with the selection above it as Layer 1 (unselected) and when I try Option and float over the cursor over the selection layer (Layer 1) I do not get the little square. I have tried different setting options but no joy. Have you any ideas how to overcome this problem? Thanks

[@photoshopcafe]

Sorry, press Ctrl/Cmd instead of alt/Option

[@davidbailey1689]

@@photoshopcafe Thanks Colin. I have tried it on various images and it works a treat! Thank you so much.

[@boruchlen]

Thanks, really enjoyed that. How did you make the top layer into a silhouette without filling the selection at around the 2 minute mark? I don't see a mask or anything.

[@photoshopcafe]

I filled it temporarily, just for demonstration purposes

[@boruchlen]

@photoshopCAFE that's what I thought, but I didn't see it happen, so I thought there was another quick secret to learn 🤪😊.

[@photoshopcafe]

@@boruchlen If you press Shift+Ctrl+Backspace it will fill with bg color while maintaining transparency

[@boruchlen]

@@photoshopcafe thanks 😊

[@ChuckDavis-gv1sb]

Hi Coin, Thanks for the tutorial. With the completed photo, under the subject's leg (calf), there seems to be a remaining halo or something that doesn't seem quite right. Maybe you could comment.

[@photoshopcafe]

It really doesn't matter, I wasn't trying to get this image perfect since everyone will be using it on different images. when you do Content aware fill, you can apply the effect to areas that got missed.

[@brandinojam24]

Could you still perform the layer delete and content aware fill if you used the pen tool instead of the magic select tools? I used the pen tool to mask a layer and Ps won't allow me to delete. It says, "Could not complete your request because the smart object is not directly editable."

[@dr.nilampatel4543]

Hope you would update the same blue background tutorials in Photoshop 2025 also....again thank you 😊

[@photoshopcafe]

On my to do list!

[@synaptophysin]

In this situation, I prefer to use the Lens Blur filter because it has options to handle specular reflections, add noise to match the noise in the unblurred parts of the image, and make subtle changes to the blur. If more blur is needed, repeat the filter using Last Filter. A Depth Map for the photo in the demonstration is easy tor create with a linear gradient mask. Create a linear gradient mask using black as closest and white as farthest because the filter does a slightly different blur for close vs. far. Load the object selection on the mask, pick the gray on the linear gradient that corresponds to the correct distance (in this case where the person sits), and fill the selection with that gray value. Now you have the depth map. Disable the mask (depth map), then start the Lens Blur filter. Use the mask as the Depth Map. Clicking on the location that is in focus selects the gray value in the Depth Map that is in focus. View J. Kost’s "How to Use the Lens Blur Filter in Photoshop" for details on Lens Blur Filter settings. She uses alpha channels for the Depth Map but I find students have an easier time using masks for the Depth Map because they are more familiar with masks.

[@photoshopcafe]

There are many ways to do things in Photoshop, The best way, is the fastest way to get to the desired result. In this example, its a simple foreground./Background noiseless image. If the ground wasn't showing, I would use a lens blur without the channel in place of field blur. If there were multiple objects and focal planes showing that required a different amount of blur, I would use a similar method you describe. I previously made a written and video tutorial using the methods you mention here (I taught this at Adobe MAX) : photoshopcafe.com/realistic-background-blur-in-photoshop-with-lens-blur/

[@GeorgeMonaghan]

This looks easier/quicker than some methods I use. Getting an error message, well two to be exact; when using the content aware fill I get "cannot fill as the target layer is hidden." When I make the layer active I get "could not fill as there are not enough source pixels on the selected area." Thought I had followed the video pretty well but I must be missing something along the way. Any ideas?

[@photoshopcafe]

Check out written steps pinned at top

[@GeorgeMonaghan]

Thanks Colin, exactly the same issue - could not fill because the target layer is hidden. Steps are pretty straightforward forward so I have no idea what is going on with it. One thing I did notice is that clicking on the layer to load the selection I have to use the "Ctrl" key and not the "Alt" key to get the "Sq".

[@larsmichael7162]

so how would you fix the hair?

[@photoshopcafe]

Just use a larger expansion than I used and use refine brush in select and mask. I’ve done a ton of Tutorials on selections and didn’t want to clutter this technique with additional info. Key to a good tutorial is to keep it simple and then deal with the comments later.

[@julius9521]

in photoshop when i go to select and then to modify is not highlight, after doing all the steps on your Your Tube on Blur background in photoshop, can you help me out here. Please

[@julianawilson1997]

I am on step 1 bridging to step two of this tutorial using a PC. and am unable to access ‘modify’ Help me please. Thx

[@maggoloco]

Make sure to watch at 2x speed

[@yohance]

Awesome sauce. Wish I saw this before I dropped $3000 on the 85mm 1.2 hahha

[@Justin_Rosa_Sincerity]

For me it's CTRL, not ALT, at the 2:40 mark (Adobe 2024, Windows PC)

[@EDDIEGARAGE]

Her shadows?

[@genemaitland2892]

Not working for me; when trying to do the "content aware" portion, I'm getting an error message saying the target layer is hidden.

[@photoshopcafe]

Make sure you are working on the background layer, sounds like you are on the top layer

[@genemaitland2892]

@@photoshopcafe Thanks! I actually got it to go after backtracking a bit...🤜

[@doriswoodruff4810]

Hate to say it .followed along on a simple photo of my own...field blur won't change size with slider OR the pin PS just shuts down>>...a bug? Im on MacOS 11.7.4 and PS 2023 CC 23.3.0..seems to be uptodate...it crashes PS totally every photo Ive tried..simple photos straight out of LrC into PS no smart object selected, did content aware fill on layer with the field..made the two points and either one cannot change art of blur...each crashes PS..any ideas???

[@photoshopcafe]

Sounds like a bug. Did you try updating Photoshop?

[@honssiphoto]

🤗😍

[@ИванИванов-я9ы8н]

Real pros create a depth map

[@martinhousemuse]

I don't freakin' get it. I try to follow these tutorials step for step and they absolutely never work. It's ridiculous. Bottom line is that Photoshop makes things way more complicated than they need to be. It's ridiculous.

[@adassociates8235]

👉👌👍

[@marshacooper8356]

Thank you, this was really helpful.