A Quick Visual Comparison Of All Of Photoshop’s Blur Filters

A_1_BlurFiltersBefore

Before Blur FX

B_15_Tilt-ShiftBlur_full

After Blur FX

There are many reasons to explore blur in your images: remove distractions, direct attention, enhance space, modify mood and add interesting visual artifacts are a few among many. Blur can be controlled at the point of capture and in post-processing. Thoroughly understanding your post-processing options will help you make choices about when and how to control blur in your images before, during and after exposure.

When it comes to post-processing blur, you’ve got options! Photoshop currently offers 14 filters: Field Blur, Iris Blur, Tilt-Shift, Average, Blur, Blur More, Box Blur, Gaussian Blur, Lens Blur, Motion Blur, Radial Blur, Shape Blur, Smart Blur, Surface Blur – in order of appearance in the Filter > Blur drop-down menu. (If you want to extend your software palette even further, explore onOne Software’s FocalPoint.)

At first glance, the list is overwhelming. Where do you start? Get started with this quick visual survey of available options.

A_6_GaussianBlur_full

Gaussian Blur

 

A_5_BoxBlur_full

Box Blur

A_7_MotionBlur_full

Motion Blur

A_8_RadialBlur_full

Radial Blur

A_9_ShapeBlur_full

Shape Blur

A_10_SmartBlur_full

Smart Blur

A_11_SurfaceBlur_full

Surface Blur

B_12_LensBlur_full

Lens Blur

B_13_FieldBlur_full

Field Blur

B_14_IrisBlur_full

Iris Blur

B_15_Tilt-ShiftBlur_full

Tilt Shift Blur

 

Read more about Blur FX.
Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.

1 Comment

  • Edward

    07.02.2022 at 13:58 Reply

    Interesting. Just yesterday, in Lightroom Classic, I applied some negative Clarity to an image to soften the foreground/background so I could enhance detail in the main subject. And today, I get this email from you. The universe is a fascinating creature. Ask quietly and you shall receive!!

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