How to Get Blur to Work in Photoshop

The blur filter in Photoshop smooths out rough edges and removes grainy areas on your images and graphics. The filter is built into the program and doesn’t require downloading or installing like third-party Photoshop plug-ins. The blur filter is also available as a tool that blurs specific areas in your image. The blur tool is on Photoshop's "Tools" toolbar. The blur filter and blur tool work hand-in-hand with the sharpen filter to finalize the blurring process and further smooth out rough areas, if desired.

Blur Filter

1. Open Photoshop if it is closed and click “File,” then “Open.” Navigate to the directory containing the image or graphic you want to apply the blur filter to. Double click the file’s name to open the file.

2. Click “Select” and “All” to highlight all areas of the image or graphic. Click “Filter,” “Blur” and “Gaussian Blur.”

3. Move the slider at the bottom of the “Gaussian Blur” dialog box to the left or right to change the blur level. Move the slider slowly until details disappear but shapes keep their form or until you are satisfied with the image or graphic.

4. Click “OK” to accept the change. Click “Filter,” “Sharpen” and “Unsharp Mask,” if desired, to blend all areas and smooth out the overall image or graphic.

5. Click “File” and “Save” to save the file, if desired.

Blur Tool

1. Complete step one in the “Blur Filter” section. Click the raindrop icon below the eraser icon on Photoshop’s "Tools" toolbar to activate the blur tool for blurring specific areas of a image or graphic.

2. Click the down arrow next to “Brush:” on the top toolbar to select the size of the blur tool you want to use. Click “View” and “Zoom In” to zoom into your image or graphic.

3. Navigate to the area you want to blur, then click and hold down your mouse’s button. Move the mouse to the left or right to start blurring the area -- you will see the area blurring.

4. Release your mouse button when the area is to your liking. Click “Filter,” “Sharpen” and “Unsharp Mask,” if desired, to blend all areas and smooth out the overall image or graphic.

5. Click “File” and “Save” to save the file, if desired.