Photoshop CS6 Blur Gallery – Field Blur

Written by Steve Patterson. In this Photo Retouch tutorial, we look at Field Blur, the first of three brand new blur filters in Photoshop CS6! Field Blur, along with Iris Blur and Tilt-Shift (the other new blur filters) are found in the Blur Gallery, also new in CS6. Each of these filters gives us a different way to add a blur effect to a photo, but as we’ll see in these tutorials, Field Blur, Iris Blur and Tilt-Shift have one big advantage in common – they give us amazing control over the effect because they don’t simply apply uniform blurring across the entire image. Instead, they allow us to easily adjust and fine-tune the blur amount in specific areas, and they do it without the need for layer masks!

In this first tutorial, we’ll learn all about Field Blur. Here’s the photo I’ll be working with:

The original image.

Before we go any further, let’s take a quick look at my Layers panel where we see that I’m currently working on a copy of my original image. I created the copy by pressing Crtl+J (Win) / Command+J (Mac) on my keyboard, which duplicated the Background layer. This way, the original photo, sitting safely on the Background layer, will remain untouched and unharmed while I apply the blur effect to the copy on Layer 1:Before we go any further, let’s take a quick look at my Layers panel where we see that I’m currently working on a copy of my original image. I created the copy by pressing Crtl+J (Win) / Command+J (Mac) on my keyboard, which duplicated the Background layer. This way, the original photo, sitting safely on the Background layer, will remain untouched and unharmed while I apply the blur effect to the copy on Layer 1:

Working on a copy of the image (Layer 1) to avoid changing the original (Background layer).

Selecting The Field Blur Filter

To access the Field Blur filter, go up to the Filter menu in the Menu Bar along the top of the screen, choose Blur from the list, and then choose Field Blur:

Go to Filter > Blur > Field Blur.

The Blur Gallery

This opens the Blur Gallery which temporarily replaces the standard interface in Photoshop CS6. The Blur Gallery is made up mostly of a large preview area where we work on our image, and if you look along the right, you’ll find a couple of panels. The top one is the main Blur Tools panel where we find the controls and options for the Field Blur, Iris Blur and Tilt-Shift filters. Below it is the Blur Effects panel which gives us a few extra options for adding bokeh effects to the blur. We’re going to skip the Blur Effects panel for now because we don’t need it to add our main blur effect.
Since I selected Field Blur from the Filter menu, the Blur Tools panel automatically opens to the Field Blur options:

 The Blur Gallery in Photoshop CS6, with the Blur Tools panel open to the Field Blur options.

Working With Pins

If we look at my image in the preview area, we notice two things. First, the entire photo has an initial blurring effect applied to it, and it’s applied uniformly across the entire image, similar to what we’d get with one of Photoshop’s more traditional blur filters like Gaussian Blur. The second and more interesting thing we notice is a strange looking circular icon. This icon is known as a pin. It’s called a pin because we "pin" it to the image. Photoshop automatically adds an initial pin for us, but we can pin multiple copies of this icon to different areas of the image. Why would we do that? We’ll get to that in a moment:

This initial pin that Photoshop adds is actually controlling the amount of blur that’s being applied to the image. How does it work? Well, the outer ring of the pin acts very much like a volume dial on a stereo or amplifier. To increase the music’s volume, we’d turn the dial clockwise, and to turn the music down, we’d turn the dial counterclockwise. In this case, instead of adjusting sound volume, we’re controlling the amount of blurring, but it works the same way. We just need to turn the dial. Simply move your mouse cursor over the outer ring, then click and with your mouse button held down, drag your mouse either clockwise or counterclockwise to turn the dial. Dragging clockwise will increase the blur amount, while dragging counterclockwise will decrease it. Photoshop will show you a live preview of the result as you drag:

 

The Blur Slider

If the "volume dial" control doesn’t appeal to you, you can also adjust the blur amount using the more traditional Blur slider in the Field Blur section of the Blur Tools panel. The Blur slider and the pin are tied to each other so adjusting one automatically adjusts the other. It makes no difference which one you use. As with the pin, Photoshop will give you a live preview of the result as you drag the Blur slider left or right:

Here’s what my image looks like in the preview area with my blur amount set to 18px:

 

Moving Pins

So far, so good, except that all I’ve managed to do up to this point is apply the same amount of blurring to the entire photo. What if I want to change the blur amount in a specific area? For example, the woman’s eyes should not be blurred. They need to remain sharp, so how do I reduce the blur amount over just her eyes? With the new Field Blur filter, it’s easy. I just need to add another pin!
Before I do that, though, I’m first going to move my initial pin out of the way. We can move pins around simply by clicking on the center of them and, with the mouse button held down, dragging them to a different spot over the image. I’ll drag the pin up higher so it’s away from her eyes:

Adding More Pins

To add a new pin, move your mouse cursor over the spot where you want to place it. Your cursor will change into a pin icon with a plus sign ( + ) beside it, letting you know you’re about to add a new pin. In my case, since I want to adjust the blur amount over the woman’s eyes, I’ll move my cursor over the eye on the left:

Then, simply click and the new pin appears! Notice that the initial pin is still there but is no longer displaying the outer ring around it. That’s because even though both pins are having an effect on the image, we can only adjust one pin at a time, so only the pin that’s currently active (the new pin I just added) displays the outer dial:

With my new pin over the woman’s eye, I can remove the blurring in that area of the image either by dragging the pin’s outer ring counterclockwise or by dragging the Blur slider in the Blur Tools panel to the left until the blur amount is at 0. Here, I’m dragging the pin’s outer dial. The blurring effect under and around this second pin has now been removed, while the area closer to the initial pin higher up in the image still has the blur effect applied:

I’ll do the same thing with the other eye, clicking on it to add a third pin to the image, then dragging the outer dial counterclockwise to set the blur amount to 0. Both eyes are now once again nice and sharp, just as they were originally, while the blur effect remains around the pin at the top of the image. With each new pin we add, we gain more control over the strength of the blur in different areas of the photo:

What if I want to go back and re-adjust the initial pin? No problem! I just need to click on it to re-activate it, which will once again display its outer control ring, and then I can drag the ring (or the Blur slider in the Blur Tools panel) to increase or decrease the blur amount in that part of the photo. It’s important to note that at this point, we’re not making any permanent, physical changes to the image. Photoshop is simply giving us a live preview of what the blur effect will look like:

Here, I’m adding a fourth pin just below her shoulder to add some blurring and softening in that area, rotating the outer dial clockwise to increase blurring. You can add as many pins as you like to gain as much fine-tune control over the blur effect as you need:

And as one more example, I’ll click and add a fifth pin just above her mouth, then I’ll rotate its outer ring counterclockwise to bring back some of the original sharpness in the lower part of her face:

Temporarily Hiding The Pins

The only problem with these pins is that they tend to clutter up the image, making it difficult to see the effect underneath. We can temporarily hide the pins by pressing and holding the H key on the keyboard (think “H’ for “Hide”). With the key held down, the pins disappear. Release the key and they re-appear:

You can also compare your work-in-progress with the original un-blurred version at any time by unchecking the Preview option at the top of the Blur Gallery. With Preview unchecked, the original image appears. Click inside its checkbox again to turn Preview back on and switch back to the blurred version. Or, you can press the letter P on your keyboard to quickly cycle the Preview option on and off:

Removing Pins

To remove an unwanted pin, click on it to make it active, then press Backspace (Win) / Delete (Mac) on your keyboard. Or, if you want to clear away all the pins at once and start over, click the Remove All Pins icon at the top of the Blur Gallery (directly to the right of the Preview option):

Applying The Blur Effect To The Image

Finally, when you’re done adding, adjusting and moving pins and you’re happy with the results, either click the OK button at the top of the Blur Gallery or press Enter (Win) / Return (Mac) on your keyboard. This will apply the blur effect to the image and exit you out of the Blur Gallery:

And that’s all there is to it! Here, for comparison, is my original photo once again:

 The original image.

 And here, after adding a few more pins around the image, is my final result:

The final effect.

And there we have it! That’s how to easily apply different amounts of blurring to specific areas of an image using the new Field Blur filter in Photoshop CS6!

Quick Tip: Create Light Leaks and Lomo Effects Using Actions in Photoshop

 

 

Tutorial Details

• Apps Used: Adobe Photoshop CS5
• Difficulty: Beginner
• Estimated Completion Time: 10 - 15 Minutes

Final Product

Step 1

Begin by opening your images and navigating to the Window Tab of Photoshop. In the Window Tab click Actions (Alt+ F9). Once you have opened the actions panel you can begin creating your first lomo leak.

Step 2

Now that you have the actions panel open, we can begin our first light leak. Start by clicking the “new action” icon on the panel and title your photo action. Once titled, begin adding effects.

Step 3

For the first effect we will add Curves. Try to replicate the image shown as best as possible. It does not have to be exactly the same.

Next add a Gradient from the “fill or adjustment layer”

 Change the color to “fc2c2c”, then change the angle to -100. The rest of the gradient can stay the same, just click ok.

Now change the layer style to Screen and lower the opacity to 90%.

Step 4

Now to wrap the action up, group the two adjustment layers, and name them “Effects”. Once finished click the Stop button and your action is complete.

Conclusion

Add this action to your own photos and experiment with different colors to create beautiful light leaks and lomo effects! Also, the download files for this tutorial include 3 actions that you can apply to your own work.

Realistic Makeup Application in Photoshop

Realistic Makeup Application in Photoshop Tutorial Details

 

 

 

 

Tutorial Details

• Applications Used: Adobe Photoshop CS3
• Difficulty: Beginner
• Estimated Completion Time: 1 - 2 Hours

 

Step 1

Natural makeup is all about creating flawless looking skin. So make an assessment of your photo. In this particular case we have a stock photo of a woman with virtually no visible makeup on except for mascara. This photo is perfect because we won’t have to create false lashes later on. The main makeup concepts you’ll be learning today are concealing, contouring, and highlighting. Feel free to make literal or mental notes of which areas to correct.

Step 2

Duplicate the original photo layer and place into a group. This is where all the makeup changes will occur; you can flip back to the original photo at any time to compare the changes you’ve made. Next go to Filter > Liquify and begin adjusting the structure of your model’s face. Use the Forward Warp Tool to create a slimmer appearance by bringing in the sides of her cheek, forehead, and jaw line.

Step 3

We will continue using the Liquify option throughout this tutorial, so feel free to make adjustments to the facial structure until you’re satisfied. Currently the model’s expression seems a little down, so we can alter it by lifting crucial areas of her face such as the corners of her mouth, her eyebrows, and the corners of her eyes. Now her expression is more pleasant. You can also quickly straighten her nose by pulling it to the right.

Step 4

Typically, people use the Bloat Tool to create fuller lips, but in excess it can lead to an unnatural bulge. For subjects with thinner lips, think about using the Forward Warp Tool instead to pull the lips into a more natural shape.

Step 5

Use the Clone Stamp Tool at a low opacity to softly erase spots, lighten dark circles, and lessen wrinkles by sourcing nearby areas. It’s almost like a regular brush, so using it correctly can create a subtle effect of soft, clear skin. This is similar to the purpose of liquid foundation which helps to even out skin tone. Use this tool to soften the harshness of the lashes by sweeping a thin layer of color over them. You may also notice that we brought the photo back into Liquify to create the appearance of higher cheekbones

 

 

Step 6

Filling out the eyebrows with a pencil or powder is usually an essential step that all girls remember. Eyebrows are so important because they frame the face and ultimately clean up our look. Using the Stamp Tool, carefully stamp along the shape of the eyebrows to create the base. Select the Brush Tool to finish them. First hit the Alt key to collect the color of the brow then use a hard, low opacity round brush to make realistic strokes of hair along the brow. Use the Eraser to clean them up. If one brow looks better than the other, use the Lasso Tool to select the better brow and copy and paste it onto a new layer. Go to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal, then right-click and select Free Transform to position into place.

Step 7

Select a pale area of skin with the Eyedropper. Use both the Brush and Stamp Tools to paint a soft pale color around the bridge of the nose and underneath the eyes at an angle all the way up to the top of the cheekbone. In real life this step would be considered “concealer.” It helps to brighten up the under eye area and mask any overlooked discoloration.

Step 8

Now let’s add a little color to our subject. Use the Eyedropper to select the brow color. With the brush mode set to Soft Light, sweep the color at a low opacity along the cheekbone. Do this under the chin to create more shadow, and along the temples of the forehead. Real life makeup artists apply this same technique in order to “contour” the face. Use the Burn Tool to darken the hair towards the scalp to create fuller looking hair. You’ll see that this is also the last time we bring the photo into Liquify in order to adjust the chin and left cheek.

Step 9

Add a new layer. With the Brush Tool set back to Normal mode, paint the color #e4bba7 along the same areas you contoured using a soft, low opacity brush. Set the layer to Soft Light, and bring down the opacity to 48%. This effect makes the model’s skin glow and her eyes pop with color.

 

Step 10

Add another new layer to focus on the lip color or “lipstick”. Try to define the shape of her mouth with a hard round brush. For a soft lip finish, select the color of her top lip and fill it in using a low opacity brush to balance out the color. Do the same with the bottom lip. Avoid applying any kind of lip shine effect because it doesn’t work with this look.

Step 11

The last step to this natural makeup look is to improve the clarity and intensity of this photo. Add a New Adjustment Layer and select Curves. Make the colors of the photo more rich by bringing the curve down. Add another New Adjustment Layer for Brightness and Contrast and make the following adjustments to intensify the photo. Add a last New Adjustment Layer for Color Balance and make the following adjustments to balance everything out. This last layer also helps to intensify the actual natural makeup look.

Step 12

Professional makeup artists have to exaggerate glamorous makeup so that it picks up well on camera. Keep in mind these techniques are similar to the ones we just did, but instead create more drama to the Hollywood level.
Add a new layer for additional contouring. Like before, use the color of the brows to work from. Add more color to the cheeks, neck, and underneath the brow with a soft round brush. Nowadays, makeup artists also contour the nose to make it appear thinner. Add the same color along the side of the nose all the way up to the brow, then set the layer to Soft Light and bring down the opacity to around 70%.

Step 13

Add a new layer and set it to Hard Light. With the same color from the brow, paint along the lid of the eyes. You can even wing it out slightly and apply a small beauty mark upon the cheek for a retro makeup look. Adjust the layer opacity until you’re satisfied, in this case it’s 88%.

Step 14

Add another new layer for the lip color. We’re still going for a matte lipstick effect because it’s more suitable for this look and we’ll be adding shine in a different way in our next step. Set the layer to Soft Light and apply a thin layer of the color #971f24 to the lips with a soft round brush. Bring down the opacity to 35%.

Step 15

Lastly, add another new layer for highlights. Highlights are often done with shimmery makeup and enhance areas by making them appear brighter, fuller, and higher. Using a bright color that’s almost white, gradually apply highlights to the brows, inner eye duct areas, upper cheek bones, and Cupid’s bow with a low opacity round brush. This effect is truly what transforms the look the most, from natural to glam.

Conclusion

No matter the look you’re going for, you can learn from actual makeup techniques to enhance the realism of your retouched photos. Have fun!

Final Image