blurry background

[ljaymes]

Hey guys - I am a serious newbie with PS6...basically what I'm trying to do is take a regular picture and make the background blurry...I have a sample of what I'd like the end result to look like but I don't see anywhere that I can attach an image to a post (if I missed it let me know...)

Can anyone take me through the steps of taking a picture of ie:a girl in front of trees and making it so the girl is the only thing in focus?? 'preciate the help :)

ljaymes

[ljaymes]

...and here's the image I didn't scroll down far enough to see that I could attach ;)

[Hyperdelicious]

There are several different way to blur a background. Two of the most common ways are to select the focal area with either a selection tool or by masking it. Since you are new to photoshop I will briefly explain how to do this using a selection tool...

- open photoshop and the image you want to apply blur
- first select Layer/Duplicate Layer (assures the original photo isn't lost)
- working on the duplicate copy...
- use a selection tool (lasso)
- make a selection around the image you want in focus
- right click on the image or layer
- from the menu select Layer Via Copy
- select the copy of original
- select Filter/Blur/Guassian Blur
- adjust setting (usually a setting of 3.5 - 5.5 works fine)
- hit ok

Experiment with the different selection tools and their individual settings.
Experiment with the selection effects (under the selection menu)
Expirement with the various blurs and their settings.

[ljaymes]

THANK YOU!! :D That worked!! (sorry if I sound surprised...I haven't had much luck with these "experiments" so far...) :p
you're awesome - thanks again!!