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Filed under: Features, How-tos, Graphic Design

How to use Photoshop's Lens Blur tool with masking (Part 2 of 2)


Yesterday, I showed you how to simulate a photograph taken with a tilt-shift lens by using Photoshop CS3's Lens Blur tool. Today, we'll do something a bit more practical: clipping out an object that's not entirely in focus.

Clipping out objects that are out of focus can be something of a chore: either you have a hard, dark edge somewhere you don't want, or you have to settle for feathering the whole thing, leaving edges that should be sharp a little too blurry.

We'll be clipping out this old book, and dropping it on a new surface.

Continue readingHow to use Photoshop's Lens Blur tool with masking (Part 2 of 2)

Filed under: Features, How-tos, Graphic Design

How to use Photoshop's Lens Blur tool for tilt-shift fakery (Part 1 of 2)


We all know Photoshop is a powerful tool. In two tutorials, I'll take you through how to use Photoshop CS3's Lens Blur filter to do two things: today, we'll make images look like they were shot with a tilt-shift lens. Tomorrow, we'll create clipping masks for objects that aren't entirely in focus.

Lens Blur gives the effect of a narrower depth of field, so some areas of your image stay in focus, and other areas are blurred. Combined with an alpha channel that defines areas of blurriness, you have a powerful way to create masks and alter photos.

The easiest thing to do is show you first how Lens Blur works in pictures.

Continue readingHow to use Photoshop's Lens Blur tool for tilt-shift fakery (Part 1 of 2)

Tip of the Day

Holding the Command key (aka the Apple key) and pressing Tab will cycle through your open applications. It's easier to Cmd-Tab if you are Copy (Cmd-C) and Pasting (Cmd-V) to and from various applications.


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