Help with gradient blur please

KevinKal

Hi all,

I am using PS Elements 2 and have not been terribly successful in locating information on performing gradient blurs. It seems that there is a specific function for this in PSC, so perhaps someone has a workaround for me. To illustrate my request, I have a photo taken in which I'd like the subject to remain in focus, but the background to be blurred out. Below, I have posted the original picture, and then the result of the following technique:
1. After selecting the foreground (girl & bird), I inversed the selection.
2. Created a layer mask.
3. Applied a gausian blur to the background selection.
4. Using the layer mask, I selectively erased the blur in increments:
a) 100% brush opacity for the lower area (near the girl's feet)
b) 80% opacity a bit higher up
c) 50% opacity a bit higher again (around the level of her waist).

The result is almost what I want, but I am disatisfied with the halo-effect around the bird, the girl's hand, and her head. Could this be due to imperfect selection on my part? Any recommendations? Finally, would "Lock Transparency" be of any use?

Original:



Results:

Michiel de Brieder

Kevin,

it seems to me that you've taken other steps after creating the Gaussian Blur, is that so? I don't think the halo comes from the blur layer.. If it does though, you can always create some transition from the subject to the background by painting over the halo and gradually 'introducing' the effect towards the subject.

Does this help?

KevinKal

Michiel...
Hi Michiel,

Other than sharpening the image and then running it through NoiseWare, no other steps were taken after creating the Gaussian Blur. Also, I'm quite sure that the halo-effect appeared after the blur, due to colors between the foreground and background bleeding into each other.

What exactly do you mean by "painting over the halo and gradually introducing the effect"? I'm not quite sure how to do this.

Thank you for your help,

Kevin K.

rainforest1155

KevinKal wrote:

Other than sharpening the image and then running it through NoiseWare, no other steps were taken after creating the Gaussian Blur. Also, I'm quite sure that the halo-effect appeared after the blur, due to colors between the foreground and background bleeding into each other.

As far as I know you should not run NoiseWare after editing the picture in PS. It'll be most efficient in creating a noise profile when you feed it with the original straight out of the camera.
Personally I try to do all my adjustenments in PS with adjustmentlayers. When I discover after my postwork that I'll need to run it through NoiseWare, I can simply open the original in NoiseWare and then copy the cleaned image using the clipboard into PS as a new layer. This way all my are automaticly applied to the cleaned image.

Sebastian

KevinKal

Sebastian
That's a great tip Sebastian, thank you. I'm always in the process of refining my workflow. Luckily, I hardly ever use NoiseWare but for some reason this shot was too grainy for my liking.

Kevin

cletus

Kevin,

Nice work

I don't think the quality of your selection/mask is the issue. If I had to guess I'd say the halo is caused by the blur taking the tones from the girl and bird and spreading them onto the background.

A workaround??? The halo is slight enough that I'd try toucing it up by hand by painting on a new layer above the rest of the image with a nice soft brush. I'd pick the dominant color of the blured background from that area that I was working and paint with it.

Other than that I'm not sure what you could do.

KevinKal

Eric...
Eric,

Thank you for the reply...I agree, I think the problem is due to bleeding of the colors from the foreground & background. I'll give your method a whirl and see what happens.

Cheers,
Kevin K.

digismile

Kevin,

Your halo is indeed from the bleed or spreading of the background layer. Another other option is to simply "cut" the girl from the background layer to her own layer. When you blur the background you will not get the same severe halo effect as having the girl there. There is sometimes a bit of touchups required. If you keep your base layer intact, you can always paint back using the history brush.

Brad

Michiel de Brieder

KevinKal wrote:

What exactly do you mean by "painting over the halo and gradually introducing the effect"? I'm not quite sure how to do this.

What I mean by this:
You have a Layer Mask for the Gaussian Blur layer. It has a harsh transition: meaning going from black into white instantly. You should paint over the parts of the halo on the Layer mask to create a transition for black to white with tints of grey. Remember that you are painting on your mask, which gives you the freedom to make some errors. I usually approach a halo with a black brush and lowering the opacity while I work, so if I have a black/white edge I work on the black side painting first with 80 opacity on the layer mask, then 50, then 25 and 10 to give a final touch.
Does this help, or should I make some kind of example? (when I haven't drunk some beers )

KevinKal

Michiel
Michiel,

Thanks again for the explanation. If you have the time, perhaps you could make some kind of example as you suggested? Take your time though, those beers do have priority!

Kevin

Michiel de Brieder wrote:

What I mean by this:
You have a Layer Mask for the Gaussian Blur layer. It has a harsh transition: meaning going from black into white instantly. You should paint over the parts of the halo on the Layer mask to create a transition for black to white with tints of grey. Remember that you are painting on your mask, which gives you the freedom to make some errors. I usually approach a halo with a black brush and lowering the opacity while I work, so if I have a black/white edge I work on the black side painting first with 80 opacity on the layer mask, then 50, then 25 and 10 to give a final touch.
Does this help, or should I make some kind of example? (when I haven't drunk some beers )

adrian_k

When you're painting the mask, instead of painting black use grey around the border of the subject and BG and this softens the edges.
Alternatively, you can use a soft edges brush for the intersection.

Also, looking at you picture, are you using a blending option such as overlay? I think this has the effect of exaggerating the halo.

Another suggestion is to use blur or smudge around the intersection.

KevinKal wrote:

Michiel,

Thanks again for the explanation. If you have the time, perhaps you could make some kind of example as you suggested? Take your time though, those beers do have priority!

Kevin

XO-Studios

Michiel de Brieder wrote:

What I mean by this:
You have a Layer Mask for the Gaussian Blur layer. It has a harsh transition: meaning going from black into white instantly. You should paint over the parts of the halo on the Layer mask to create a transition for black to white with tints of grey. Remember that you are painting on your mask, which gives you the freedom to make some errors. I usually approach a halo with a black brush and lowering the opacity while I work, so if I have a black/white edge I work on the black side painting first with 80 opacity on the layer mask, then 50, then 25 and 10 to give a final touch.
Does this help, or should I make some kind of example? (when I haven't drunk some beers )

Good tip, here is a cheater way.

Original image.
Duplicate layer (copy 1)
Duplicate again (copy 2) (this way original is maintained in case of a faul up)
Blur the Copy 1 the wanted amount
goto copy 2
create a mask and fill the mask with 50% grey (128,128,128)
Now still in the mask, use a very soft brush (15% or so), and paint white in the areas that you want sharp, and black in the areas you want completely blurred. Vary the brush size but do not make it too small so the transition remains soft.
The 50% will be a medium opacity.

BTW same principle applies in making an alpha channel and using that for lens blur.

FWIW, YMMV,

XO,

KevinKal

Thanks all...
Just wanted to thank everyone for these great methods of achieving gradient blurs. I plan to give them a whirl in the near future.

Cheers,
Kevin K.