Joined: 12 Mar 2014
Posts: 26
Location: Northeast New York State (no, not the city) PS Version: CS4 OS: Windows 8.1
Posted: Sun May 25, 2014 8:38 am Post subject: Focal Length / Background Blurring in Photoshop
I met a pretty great photographer at a renaissance festival in Sterling, NY a year ago. He gave me a link to some of his unlisted work, and they were fantastic. I took some shots that I felt were very good, but the background always ruined the photograph, such as a joust with actors in full plate armor riding huge horses, lances, everything. But I use a point and click (but a decently good one) camera. It doesn't allow me to change lenses or anything.
Notice that only the man's face is on sharp focus, with the background blurred out, but still makes the photograph look great.
Can someone give me a tip or pointer as to how I could achieve this effect in Photoshop (CS4)? I have quite a few photos I would like to have this effect on. Taking a picture of a great subject and having some guy eating a hot dog in the background always disappoints me. I've tried using the stock blur filter, and/or using the blur tool, or the smudge tool, but none helped at all, and I have a feeling that I am going about it wrong anyway.
Notice in the image I linked how objects in the background are very blurred, but still maintain a blob like shape, instead of a fuzzy mass that Photoshop makes with severe blurring using the built in tools.
Is there any way I can achieve this level of quality with just Photoshop, or an I stuck with what I have and the lousy quality blurring?
See link for an image that I would like to have the background blurred out, but not turned into a haze of color (if you know what I mean) I'd like to make it like the examples I linked from Johnny Shakedown.
Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 3515
Location: Haverhill, UK PS Version: Lightroom 5, CS4 & Elements 11 OS: Windows 8.1
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2014 3:07 pm Post subject:
Hi Glitch,
It's difficult to pull this technique off to a good standard in Photoshop. When you're taking the shot, make sure that your aperture is as low as it can be. Zooming into the subject with a low aperture will also help.
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