How to Blur Background Using Photoshop

To start, I used Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 to do everything. I like this version of Photoshop because it’s fairly simple to use and since it’s current there are plenty of tutorials online if you run into any confusion. Before you begin to follow the steps below, make sure you have already uploaded your image and completed any RAW image editing that you wish to do.

Step 1: Duplicate Layer

To create a background copy, right click “Background” and then select the duplicate layer option from the drop down menu.

Step 2: Quick Selection Tool

Choose the “Quick Selection” tool on the left side of your screen. Be sure to change it from “subtract from selection” (-) to the “add to selection” (+) option.

Step 3: Add the Background to the Selection

Using the quick selection tool, add the whole background (the part you want to be blurred out) and then hit “Select and Mask”. By doing this, you’re separating the part you just selected. The part that you don’t want to be blurred should appear red during this stage.

Step 4: Adjust Edge

Use controls on right side under the “Properties” tab to slightly blur the edge. This allows the focal point to appear without a harsh outline around it. The more time you spend on this step, the better your photo will look. For the sake of time I just did a quick touch up around the edge but normally I would spend a bit feathering and blurring the lines around the focal point.

Step 5: Blur the background

Once Step 4 is completed, return to the original layer and apply a blur filter to it. I used Guassian blur because it allows you to control how much of a blur you want. I chose 9 pixels because it didn’t look too awkward. Right click the original layer and select “Flatten Image” to condense your edits back to one layer. From there you can save as is, or continue to edit the photo.