Blur tool doesn't seem to DO anything?

[bengedlow]

I'm a newbie.  I click the layer (a photograph) I'm working on.  I click the 'Blur' tool.  I choose size, hardness, flow etc.

 

And click click click ... it doesn't seem to have an effect on the layer.

 

If I choose an adjustment layer, say Gaussian blur, then my only choice is to blur the entire image.

 

So I'm missing something on the 'Blur' tool ... and can't seem to find an answer in all the terrific tutorials you have.

 

A hint?  A clue?

 

All the best,

 

Ben

[MEB]

Hi Ben,

Do you have the layer highlighted (selected) in Layers panel? 

If the layer is not selected the Blur tool doesn't work.

[bengedlow]

Hi MEB.  I have the layer highlighted in the Layers panel – the layer of the photo.  I add a New Live Filter Layer ... or even just a Filter Layer = Gaussian blur.

 

 

 I click the Blur tool.  The Blur tool doesn't do anything.  I keep looking back to the Layers ... the Blur adjustment is embedded in the Photo layer.  I can't JUST click the adjustment layer, coz it's 'attached' to the photo layer.  But highlighting the both ... the Blur toll ain't working.

 

???

 

I also just highlight the photo layer (no adjustment layer added) ... and try to use the tool. Nada.  Nothing.

[MEB]

Thanks for the info.

The Blur Tool you find in the Tools on the left and the Filters are two different things. You don't need to add a Blur filter to work with the Blur Tool.

To use the Blur Tool select it and paint directly over the area you want to blur. Just make sure the layer you want to affect is selected. It must also be a Pixel layer type - you can identify the type of layer looking at the label between parenthesis after the layer's name in the Layers panel. If it's identified as an (Image) layer type, right click on it in the Layers panel and select Rasterise, however this should not be necessary as Affinity Photo automatically converts it for you as soon as you start painting with the Blur tool.

 

Image layers are considered object layer types, you can only change them at a "global" level, that is, change their scale, rotate , skew etc. To change an image at a pixel level (to use brushes, selections etc) you must convert it to a Pixel layer type. Another important difference between the two: Image layers type retain their original resolution no matter if you scale them down and back up again. When you convert/rasterise them to a Pixel layer they are converted to the document dpi value and will not retain the original data, so you can't enlarge them back again.

 

 

The Filters (and Adjustements) are a different feature and affect the layer globally unless you use a mask to limit the affected area. All adjustments/fllters have a built-in mask you can use for that purpose. So if you want the Blur filter to affect just part of an image, create the filter (Gaussian Blur for example), then select it in the Layers panel (you may have to click the small arrow on the left of the thumbnail to expand the image layer and access the nested filter), press ⌘ (cmd) + I to invert it's built-in mask to black so it blocks everything initially (look at the thumbnail to see it change to black), select the Brush Tool, set it to White and paint over the area you wish to affect. What you are actually doing is painting on the built-in mask with white to define the areas you want the filter affect (white reveals the filter / adjustements over the image, greys reveal more or less the effects/adjustements depending on its Lightness value, black blocks them).

 

Let me know if you still have trouble.

[R C-R]

... the Blur adjustment is embedded in the Photo layer.  I can't JUST click the adjustment layer, coz it's 'attached' to the photo layer. 

The trick to selecting just an embedded adjustment layer is you must click on its thumbnail icon in the Layers panel. If you click anywhere else you will select its parent layer instead.

[bengedlow]

Thank you thank you, both.  Very helpful.

 

And MEB, you just answered a BUNCH of questions I had.  I was also wondering about the resolution of an 'image' changing as I resized it.  I think Photoshop now has 'smart folders' that maintain resolution.  I used to be caught with that in the old Photoshop, resize smaller, re-enlarge, oops, resolution gone.

 

I'm going to follow all your instructions today.  I sincerely appreciate the very careful explanation.  The video tutorials are great, but I've been watching them helter-skelter and realise that some of the detailed instructions are given once ... and then it is assumed they are already known in the next tutorial (at least on a number of occasions) ... so if one doesn't watch chronologically, one misses a lot of details.

 

Aha!  I see you are in Lisbon MEB.  I love the country, lived down in Albufeira for awhile.  I'm watching how Portugal is moving way ahead of the rest of the world with some very enlightened thinking.  Makes me want to go back there.

 

Thank you X 10 for the help.  You've made this day much much easier.

 

All the best,

 

Ben

[uncle808us]

No Blur.afphotoBlur brush not doing anything.

The layer is highlighted the blur brush is chosen a paint brush is chosen.

Paint with the blur tool nothing changes.????? The yellowish lay is what I want to blur.

[mirla]

I figured out my problem - I needed to increase the "Flow"  setting, not just the brush width.

[Izatrini]

Hi all. I have finally found the answer to the problem listed here.  You have to first make sure that you have nothing selected or the blur tool does not work.  Before dragging the curser over the area to blur, Click CTL D to deselect everything and then the blur will work

[pisksix]

There is definitively something strange about the Blur tool. I really have to paint a lot, with all settings pushed at 100%, brush size humongous, and stay on the same spot for a long long time.... since I duplicate the layer, I can evaluate the effect by switching it on and off. I am uncertain if it should take that much time. In comparison, the smudge tool works quite fast. Our perhaps I have too many pixels in my photos...

[PremoPH]

Hello All,

 

I hope this may help everyone... I had an issue also awhile ago with this BLUR TOOL.

 

Solution: Just make sure the image file memory is not larger than 60mb so that you can easily see the blurring changes, then once the blurring is already okay, you can now adjust the image file size.

 

Thank you! 

 

- PremoPH

[markhooker]

nothing I do makes the blur tool work... never had this issue until now.  also using the blur tool creates a circle that looks like it's erasing.

[walt.farrell]

3 hours ago, markhooker said:

nothing I do makes the blur tool work... never had this issue until now.

Make sure you're using it on a (Pixel) layer, and that you don't have a pixel selection active (Select > Deselect or Cmd/Ctrl+D).

Not sure why you'd get a brush preview that looks like it's erasing.

[carl123]

14 hours ago, markhooker said:

nothing I do makes the blur tool work... never had this issue until now.  also using the blur tool creates a circle that looks like it's erasing.

This looks similar

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/97495-blur-brush-tool-in-photo-is-not-working/

 

[Nita Reed]

On 9/14/2019 at 12:47 PM, markhooker said:

nothing I do makes the blur tool work... never had this issue until now.  also using the blur tool creates a circle that looks like it's erasing.

did you ever resolve this?

 

[MEB]

Hi Nita Reed,
This is still an issue with v1.8.4, sorry (wasn't fixed yet). Meanwhile if you go to Affinity Preferences, User Interface section and untick Show brush previews, the brush cursor will appear as usual (although without previewing the blur effect).

[Nita Reed]

3 hours ago, MEB said:

Hi Nita Reed,
This is still an issue with v1.8.4, sorry (wasn't fixed yet). Meanwhile if you go to Affinity Preferences, User Interface section and untick Show brush previews, the brush cursor will appear as usual (although without previewing the blur effect).

Thank. You. Thank. You.

 

I'm just so happy it's not me.  I have tried EVERYTHING.. FOR DAYS.  Every bit of advice, every forum, every @#$%& YouTube video.  I'm not stupid.  I'm not crazy.  

There are no words for my level of happiness right now.  None.

I love the idea of my AP.  Especially love the things I've conquered in the past few days.

OK...done mouth vomiting over.

Glad there's a fix.

[Nita Reed]

On 8/5/2020 at 6:26 AM, MEB said:

Hi Nita Reed,
This is still an issue with v1.8.4, sorry (wasn't fixed yet). Meanwhile if you go to Affinity Preferences, User Interface section and untick Show brush previews, the brush cursor will appear as usual (although without previewing the blur effect).

Still doesn't work

[Nita Reed]

want to blur the line between the woman and the water

[IanSG]

Try applying a blur to the entire image, use a large brush to erase most of it and then a small one to get the effect you want.

[IcyPRO]

Blur brush is esentially useless at higher canvas resolutions (think 3000px and more), because it's blurring effect is hardcoded to some value, instead of being relative to your brush size.

It's the same as trying to blur your 4000 x 3000 canvas by applying 2px gaussian blur over and over... Nothing's going to happen.
Then try to apply 2px gaussian blur once at 400x300 px canvas and boom, it's completely blurry.

Blur brush needs to be reworked to be actually useful.

[David in Яuislip]

I don't think it's the canvas size. Below I've used the Blur Brush Tool on an image 4128 x 3104px then it was cropped, the rainbow rectangle added and the left of that blurred with the same tool. I sympathise with those having problems but I just cannot get the tool to not work. Maybe try reseting the tool and copying my settings as a starting point

[R C-R]

58 minutes ago, David in Яuislip said:

Maybe try reseting the tool and copying my settings as a starting point

Wow! At least for me reducing the Spacing to the minimum 1% makes a huge difference in the amount of blur the Blur Brush applies in one stroke.

[Nita Reed]

David,

Nice problem to have...

I used your settings...don't know how to "reset the tool".  Still did not work.

Changed to #16 round brush and increased the brush size ( ] ) til brush was about the size of a nickel.  It worked.  Had to pass 3 or 4 times but, that's the first blur I've seen.

[Nita Reed]

Nope...back to not working