Guide to Blurring a Photo (On Purpose) with Photoshop

I've worked with Photoshop and its effects on a regular basis for over eight years, quickly becoming the "go-to" expert for friends and family with photo retouching, enhancement, or other graphics needs. Over the years I've used a great deal of different Photoshop effects for different purposes, and have found ways to make utilizing the effects easier and more enjoyable for both the average and the advanced Photoshop user.

One particular photo effect is easy to create, but can have a spectacular dramatic effect in the right circumstances. This is great for folks who aren't too handy with a camera, but love to make photographs they can show off to their friends. I myself don't always know exactly how to get the shot I'm looking for, but thanks to my experience with Photoshop I'm able to cover up a multitude of sins. With this effect you'll be able to blur out the bad spots and focus on the good.

(Disclaimer: I've had people ask me complex questions about getting into the professional photography business. While I have friends in the profession and know that Photoshop is a necessary tool for the modern photographer, I'm not in the business, so I can't answer related questions; I just have a knack for retouching the photos of friends and family and am familiar with the workings of the program.)

The key starts with the shot itself. To get it to work, the subject you're taking a picture of needs to have the background in the distance. (An up-close background will ruin the effect, making it seem like something happened to your photo.) The effect centers on the subject him/her/itself, with the background blurring out (like with a single-reflex camera.) So take your photo, making sure the background is safely in the distance. A mostly solid color background, like the sky, will be even better.