Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
This is a really cool feature, because it lets you add a super-shallow
depth-of-field effect to your image after the fact, and it lets you
place the focus point, and the blur, right where you want it (but
doesn't give you the miniature effect like the Tilt-Shift Blur does).
Step One:
Start by opening the photo you want to
add a background blur to (like you shot it
at a wide-open aperture, like f/1.8 or f/1.4).
Now, go under the Filter menu, under
Blur, and choose
Iris Blur
(as shown here).
The background behind the bride in this
image is a tiny bit blurry, but we want to
make it a lot blurrier, so she stands out
from the background much more.
Step Two:
When you choose Iris Blur, it adds a pin
to the center of your photo, and that pin
represents the center of the area that's
going to be in focus. Our bride here is
to the left of center, so click directly on
that center pin and drag it so it's over
the bride (after all, she's what we want in
focus). You'll notice it places four round
white dots around the center pin, and a
solid oval-shaped line outside of those
dots. The four round white dots show
you the area that will remain in focus (the
focus area), and the area between those
dots and the solid oval-shaped line is
the transition area, where it fades from
sharp to blurry. The wider the distance
between those white dots and the solid
oval, the longer it takes to go from sharp
to blurry (the totally blurry area is any-
thing outside that solid oval).
(Continued)
