What's the easiest way to apply a blur around the edge of an image?

[reck]

Let's say I have a portrait and I want to apply a Gaussian blur around the the edges of the image but leave the face un-blurred, how would I do this? Ideally i'm looking for something like the vignette tool where I can change the shape, size and intensity of the effect but instead of applying shadow it's applying the blur. Is there such a tool in AP?

[Richard S.]

reck,

Ensure your image layer is selected, then create a selection where you want the blur to occur, then add the Gaussian Blur filter.

 

Hope that helps.

[reck]

Hi yeah I could create it "manually" but there's no easy way to change things with the selection as i'm experimenting. You could manually create a vignette as well using the same process but there's a dedicated tool for exactly this purpose that makes it very easy to adjust the exposure, hardness, scale and shape of the selection (as well as the split view\mirror previews). These are exactly the same parameters i'd like to change when applying a blur. I guess from your response there's no tool to do this?

 

I've seen in other applications the vignette tool can switch between light, dark and blur which allows you to use the same tool for different effects.

[Richard S.]

Ahh, sorry, I mis-read your question :(

[Fixx]

This is just a question of selection technique. Select your image by cmd-click to layer, change selection to outline (or reverse and grow), feather it as you like, add gaussian blur filter.

[nwhit]

I'm not getting this either. Have always used a vignette tool with a blur option. I have tried the suggestions above, but don't get the classic blurred vignette effect.

 

If I make an oval selection around the subject, then tell it to invert the selection, I cannot get a feathered edge no matter how high I set the feathering (under Select) In fact, as I increase the Feather, it brings in the selection border from around the outside edge of the photograph, not wanted since it lightens the blur effect around the edge of the photo. 

 

I tried converting the selection to Outline as suggested, but the blur effect ends up inside a ring around the subject, not a graduated radial blur out from the center of the selection. If I try to invert that outline, it blurs the center of the selection and outside the outer ring of the selection. 

 

All I want is the plain old, standard blurred vignette with feathering of the circle/oval selection. Need it to process a few dozen pics, so not looking for a laborious process, just a fast repeatable tool like in all other photo and video apps from PS, FCP, etc., to Aperture. 

 

Hopefully someone can provide some advice on this. I just started a client project where I need this and it's very frustrating to not be able to do something simple like this.

[nwhit]

I now see that in NIK Collection, Color Effects Pro there is a simple Vignette Blur tool. Just hoping I can do it within AP to avoid the slowness of loading a NIK plugin. 

[JimmyJack]

AFAIK there is no Vignette/Blur combo.

 

You can use a gradient directly on a blur live filter. But A) that really doesn't seem to be working correctly, and B ) it's destructive... You can't go back in and adjust the gradient.

 

So instead, you can use a blur filter which has been masked/clipped by a (any) shape that's also been blurred. Or with a gradient.

Non destructive and fully adjustable.

 

2 quick ways to do it.

In the first: notice that the star is set to erase. That layer is not a mask.

In second, I used a fill layer with an elliptical gradient as a mask. 

 

(a one step tool option would be nice)

[nwhit]

AFAIK there is no Vignette/Blur combo.

 

You can use a gradient directly on a blur live filter. But A) that really doesn't seem to be working correctly, and B ) it's destructive... You can't go back in and adjust the gradient.

 

So instead, you can use a blur filter which has been masked/clipped by a (any) shape that's also been blurred. Or with a gradient.

Non destructive and fully adjustable.

 

2 quick ways to do it.

In the first: notice that the star is set to erase. That layer is not a mask.

In second, I used a fill layer with an elliptical gradient as a mask. 

 

(a one step tool option would be nice)

 

Thanks for the advice. I'm brand new to AP, moving from PS and Aperture. Trying to use AP for the job, primarily because I like the new Tone Mapping, etc. Since I'm in the middle of trying to get these pics back to the client, could you briefly walk me through the steps to do as you suggested? I've not used either, so am at a loss as where to start with those methods. For this morning, I may just have to rely on the NIK plugin to some shots done until I can learn how to do what you suggest.

 

Thanks.

[nwhit]

SOLVED! Stumbled across the Layer/New Live Filter/Depth of Field Filter. This is, essentially, the typical and common blur vignette, but also has the option for the "Tiny Town"/Tilt-Shift effect. 

 

IMPORTANT: Took me a while to figure out why I was getting a white border around my picture after applying the filter. Apparently you need to check the Preserve Alpha option in the adjustment pane. Not covered in the Help, but found a reference to it in the forum.

[Iztok]

In InDesign it is effect  - basic feather, which resolfe problems with soft edges to alpha channel psd image irreagular shape. I miss this simple effect also directional and gradient feather, this is so usefool tools

[NotMyFault]

I tried to find this essential function (even available in Word, powerPoint etc since ages.

Workaround: using selections (the only place where you find feather etc)

1. Selection from layer
2. shrink selection by 1/2 the intended feather width
3. feather the selection by intended feather width
4. create mask from selection.

[JAQLD]

Try creating a shape, adding a Gaussian blur and then masking it over the image.