Good day, dear readers! I am glad to present to your attention another lesson on the GIMP editor, from which you will learn to create blurred background effect in a photo.

Of course everyone likes it photos with blurred background. What is the appeal of such shots? But the fact is that with the help of blur we remove all the excess garbage that clogs photo background and only the main subject we are photographing remains sharp. Take a look at these shots.

Or, for example, when photographing some dish

Such photographs reek of “professionalism.”

How to make such a blurry background?

Create silence..., now I will reveal to you the terrible secret of the recipe for such a shot. You will need:

1) Good camera, mainly a “DSLR” with interchangeable lenses, for example the budget version of the Canon 1100d

2) A lens with a large aperture, for example, if you have a Canon camera (like me), then the cheapest option would be to buy a Canon 50 1.8 lens

3) We put the lens on the camera and set the creative mode AV (or manual - M), which allows you to adjust the aperture value.

4) Set the aperture to 2, or even better to 1.8

5) Filming...

Here's an example recipe for getting a blurred background in an image. But if finances do not allow you, then we can get remotely closer to the blurred background using processing in graphic editors, such as photoshop and gimp. Thanks to the built-in tools in the editor, we can make the background of a regular photo taken on a regular digital compact camera, the so-called “point-and-shoot” camera, appear blurrier.

And how this is done, we will now learn from today's lesson.

Step 1. Open the original photo in the editor

Step 2. The next step is to highlight the main object in the photo, which we want to make sharp. To do this, the simplest, but at the same time universal method is to use the “Free Selection” tool or the so-called “Lasso” (as in Photoshop). After this, carefully outline the object. The more checkpoints you set, the better.

Step 3. While the selection is active, create a copy of the original photo through the “Layer – Make a copy” menu or by clicking on the “Make a copy of layer” icon

Step 4. Now you need to right-click on the top layer and select “Add alpha channel” from the context menu that opens.

After this, press the Del button. See what you should get if you temporarily turn off the visibility of the bottom layer.

Turn on the visibility of the layer below again and remove the selection using “Select - Remove”

Step 5. Now let’s use the standard filter of the blur editor through the menu “Filters – Blur – Gaussian Blur” and set the desired value in the settings.

Reference: This value depends on the original photo. The higher the resolution (photo size), the larger the entered parameter. For this example I took the size 30px

Step 6. If necessary, you can adjust the opacity of the top layer with the effect; to do this, move the opacity slider to the left until you achieve the desired effect. For example, I set the value to 80.

Just like that, in a few simple steps, we also received a sharp object, on which the main attention of our viewer is now focused.

Soon I plan to tell you friends about the creation of more realistic background blur using additional. If you don't want to miss the exit this lesson, then I advise.

That's all for me. Thank you all for your attention and see you in new lessons.

P.S. Special thanks to reader Lare for the lesson idea!

Best regards, Anton Lapshin!

Little BONUS:

When taking a photograph, if you open the aperture as wide as possible, you can achieve interesting effect- the main object, due to blurring the background, becomes as if separated from it. This is written in more detail in my article about. But in some cases, for example if the lens was not wide open or both the subject and background are close to each other and far from the photographer, they come out equally sharp. To fix this and make our photos more expressive, we can blur the background in Photoshop. This is relatively easy to do, but you need to have at least a basic understanding of the application in Photoshop.

As an example, let's take a photo of a girl taken on the Photo Forum. The lens aperture was opened as wide as possible - up to F4.0, with a focal length of 105 mm. But this value, with a sufficiently large distance to the subject, did not allow the background to be blurred greatly and the photo turned out not very interesting because background details distract attention to themselves.

Let's try to improve it by blurring the background. The procedure will be as follows: open the photo in Photoshop, then copy the layer, then apply a blur to the copy and “cover” the shape with a mask so that the bottom layer is visible, because she must remain sharp.

So, let's begin. We open the photo in Photoshop, we have one layer, actually it. To copy this layer, go to the menu “ Layer» (« Layer"), select " New» (« New") And " Layer via Copy» (« Layer via copying") or just press Ctrl+J on keyboard. We now have a second layer exactly the same as the initial layer.

The program automatically moved us to the top layer. This is where we will do the blur. Go to the menu " Filter» (« Filters"), find the item " Blur» (« Blur") and select " Gaussian Blur» (« Gaussian blur«).

There is only one slider in the window that changes the degree of blur. You can stop at any value that seems appropriate, while we are looking only at the background, because we will then completely remove the blur from the main subject. After we have selected the desired value, we apply blur.

Now we need to add a mask to the blurred layer to “reveal” the girl. On the menu " Layer» (« Layer"), we find " Layer Mask» (« Layer mask") and select " Reveal All» (« show all"). Nothing has changed, but a white rectangle appears to the right of the layer.

Select the brush tool on the left palette, at the top in the tool panel we need to change the parameter “ Hardness» (« Rigidity") brushes, this is done so that when painting on a mask we do not have sharp edges when moving from one layer to another. The value can be set from 20 to 40%, the more, the harder the edges and the rougher the transition will be.

Now we begin to paint over the girl’s figure in the photograph, while it becomes sharp, this is the bottom layer that appears. If you painted over the excess somewhere, then it’s okay, you just need to select on the left White color and carefully correct the problem area.

The elements of the dress in the photo below right will present some difficulty. They need to be carefully outlined with a small-diameter brush; the work is painstaking, but otherwise the effect will turn out unnatural.

As a result, we will get something like this. In my opinion, the option with the background blurred in Photoshop looks better.

Greetings, dear reader! I’m in touch with you, Timur Mustaev. I often get asked how to do blurred background on the camera, and I always answer them that this cannot be done on the camera, it can be done using the camera and the lens adjacent to it. This is exactly what will be discussed in this article today.

Of course, you can get beautiful blur, but only in the image itself. And do it with the help of a camera (not on it). The correct formulation of a question or task is half the answer. So before experimenting with photography, you need to understand the terminology.

What is bokeh?

Today's lesson will be interesting, as always, and creative. I'll tell you how to make an attractive blurry the background in the picture. This is otherwise called bokeh. As you may have guessed, the main object remains untouched, but around it the objects and landscape disappear from visibility, turning into a spot of color, somewhat reminiscent of fog.

It all looks very impressive; many people love bokeh for its ability to highlight the main character in the frame and enhance the sense of perspective of the entire photo. The first point is significant for portrait photography, the second is more for landscape.

I often notice blurry backgrounds in commercial photos, including from famous wedding photographers. But, perhaps, this technique was more popular before, but now it is losing its originality. Bokeh, natural or artificial, pleases the eye, but it will no longer surprise anyone.

Technical points

It doesn’t matter what kind of camera you have: Canon, Nikon or, for example, Sony, a beautifully blurred background can be created on any of them, because the principle is the same. The main thing is to be able to use the camera's capabilities. To a greater extent, this effect depends not on the brand or the internal structure of the camera body, but on the optics, in particular on the aperture parameter (f). There are several ways to easily blur the background. Let's distinguish two groups:

Using camera settings

• Diaphragm: You set the f value to the minimum, that is, 3.5, 2, 1.8..., thereby reducing the depth of space in the image and reducing the number of clearly visible objects.
• Focal length. Turn your zoom all the way down on your lens to achieve blur. Or use long focal length lenses where the focal length is 105 mm, 200 mm, etc. Wide-angle lenses will not give the desired effect.
• Physical distance to object (in meters). Take a few steps towards your subject. BUT: You can get closer to the subject, but the camera will not want to take pictures. This means that you have overdone it and exceeded the minimum photographic distance with your optics - step back slightly.
• Focus ring, spot focusing. The camera lens has an outer ring for manual focus adjustment. Adjust it if a blurred background cannot be achieved by other means. Also, in the settings, select not auto, but 1-point focusing, pointing it at the desired object. With the automatic option, the device itself will determine which parts of the image to make clear, but this situation does not suit us at all.

I note that all of the above methods work on one indicator - depth of field in photography. This is the depth of field of the entire surrounding space falling within the boundaries of the frame. And we need to strive to reduce it. If these points are followed, only one area, usually in the center of the viewfinder and therefore the image, will be absolutely sharp, and the rest will become increasingly blurry as it approaches the edges.

External accessories and items (special attachments, cardboard, etc.)

A translucent scarf can be used very successfully for these purposes. It will enliven the photo with brightness or add tenderness with pastel colors. Lights look interesting and funny; a regular garland located near the lens is suitable for this. It is not necessary to place these objects symmetrically relative to the main object: fill the empty space with them on one side, and balance the composition with the main object on the other. With special attachments everything is simpler - put it on and take a photo.

Making a blurred background

Let me remind you that you can “play” with the background not on the camera itself, but on the image with the direct participation of the camera and setting the settings. The only thing we can do on the device is a device like an external attachment to ultimately get bokeh in the picture. For those who still have little idea how to achieve the effect of out-of-focus or blurry background of a photo, I outlined a few simple steps:

1. Select a subject to shoot. Let's say this is a person. Decide on the place where it will be located. Let the character be distant from the background.
2. Attach a device for blurring the background (a bag, a light scarf, etc.) to the lens so that it partially covers the glass at the edges. This is so useful for enhancing bokeh and creative experiences.
3. Set the minimum aperture that is possible on your optics. You need manual mode, you can select aperture priority.
4. Set the focus to single point and concentrate the main point on the person. Shoot.

By the way, you can use the services of graphic editors to create the desired blur. If your equipment is of poor quality, you are unlikely to notice any blur in the image. This is where your knowledge of Photoshop will come in handy.

In the filters section there is a Gaussian Blur tab. Select the desired area and you're done! Beauty, and nothing more, and without unnecessary hassle during the shooting itself. This is also convenient if there is no blur in the original photo, but you decide that it is necessary there after taking the photograph.

1. Digital SLR for a beginner 2.0– a very competent course, especially for a beginner. It tells in more detail, with examples, how to make a blurred background. In him large quantities lessons in all areas of photography. After viewing it, you will appreciate its effectiveness.
2. Lightroom wizard. Secrets of high-speed photo processing– the second video course, more directions on post-processing photographs using the powerful Lightroom program. There are a lot of useful features in the course that will simply make you go crazy.

You are probably wondering why these particular courses, since there are many others on the Internet? I’ll say right away that there are a lot of others, a whole bunch of them, but the question is, are they of high quality? Not always. I have looked at many other courses, but they are very far from the quality of those that I recommend. But as they say, the choice is always yours! My job is to recommend quality!

Happy readers! If you were not yet familiar with such a great way to diversify your work, then be sure to try it. Experiment with shooting people and inanimate objects. Notice for yourself how, moving away from something, someone or closing the aperture, the blur zone changes. Good luck! And remember that you can easily subscribe to my blog, where there are many more useful information for photographers.

All the best to you, Timur Mustaev.

Who asked me to do a lesson on the topic “How to blur an image.” At first I wanted to make a primitive one, but therefore I changed my mind and decided to publish more practical lessons that will help not only beginner “Photoshoppers”, but also photographers. This article will use some terms from the language of photographers, which is why at the end of the article I will make a mini-dictionary for those who do not understand their meaning. New words in vocabulary no one has been bothered yet.

Why do you need to learn how to blur the background in photography? The question is how to blur the background very relevant, and is asked by many beginners who have just picked up a DSLR. A blurred background makes the photo more mysterious, or something. And most importantly, it highlights the main object! But, frankly speaking, I’m not a fan of this method; I’m for “natural” bokeh. But, if your lens does not shine with “bokeh” (for example, like mine), then there is nothing you can do about it, you have to “get out of it this way.”

So, let's get to the lesson itself. I want to say in advance that you need basic concepts about masks (I’m giving a link to a lesson from another site, since everything is written out perfectly there, and I no longer see the point in writing anything about masks).

Open the photo in Adobe Photoshop.

Make a copy of the main layer (you can do it with Ctrl + J). In the future we will work with a copy of the layer.

Now let's go to “Filter” – “Blur” – “Gaussian Blur...” and set it to about 5.5 pixels. (you can do more, you can do less, depending on the situation and the degree of blur you want to achieve):

Now turn on the copy mask of the main layer. This can be done by clicking on this button and holding down Alt:

And when the mask has been successfully created, select the brush thickness and “paint” the background:

And in the end we should get something like this:

The photo I chose was not entirely successful, because it’s hard to calculate at first glance where you can make bokeh so that it looks natural.

And yes, this method is not ideal, but we can also learn how to do bokeh while shooting (if you have a DSLR). But for that you learned blur the background of a photo in Photoshop.

Now, I want you to even compare what YOU got with real bokeh (I took a random photo from my collection):

Why blur the background? The reasons can be very different. Sometimes you need to emphasize the object in the center of the photo. Sometimes the background is unflattering and then blur is a salvation. In each individual case there may be a reason to blur the background.

Using the example of a photograph of a monument, let's look at two ways to blur the background in the Photoshop program, Russian version CS-4.

Blurring the background in Photoshop

Method No. 1

1. After opening the picture, use the Lasso tool. Outline the background, closing it.

2. Apply the following sequence to the selected area: Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur. Set the radius parameter to 2.1 pixels or any other at your discretion. Click OK.

3. Deselect the selection using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + D.

4. It would be possible to leave it this way, but the boundaries between blurred and non-blurred areas are very striking.

So let's use the Blur tool.

Let's install a brush of the required size and walk along the entire border. Now let's save the result.

Method No. 2

1. After opening the image, use the Quick Mask tool. Click on the quick mask button. Then click on the brush, at the same time selecting right size brushes Slowly begin to draw a brush around the monument in order to highlight the background. The places where we hold will take on a red patina. This way we know where we have already touched with the brush.

2. After the small details are outlined, you can enlarge the brush and in 1-2 seconds also process the remaining area of ​​the background.

Remove the quick mask by pressing the letter Q or the same button. Invert: Ctrl + Shift + I. Now you can repeat the operation with the filter from the first method, starting from point 2: that is, turn on Filter again - Blur - Gaussian Blur - radius 2.1 pixels. You will get approximately the same result.

In general, the main thing you need to understand about the blur system is that first you need to select the area that you want to blur, and then apply a filter to it. And for highlighting in Photoshop there are several various techniques. We have just looked at two of them.