The key to creating a soft blur effect in Photoshop is to master the three core steps of Gaussian blur, soft light layer and mask control; first use Gaussian blur to create basic soft focus, after copying the layer, set the appropriate radius through "Filter → Blur → Gaussian blur" and adjust the opacity, and at the same time, erase the parts that do not need to be blurred with the mask; then superimpose the soft light layer to enhance the sense of atmosphere, fill the new layer with 50% gray and set it to "Soft Light" mode, and use a white brush to lightly paint the target area to improve the softness; finally use a mask to control the virtual and real distribution, add a black and white mask, and use a white brush to brush out the background blur area and erase the main part, adjust the transition nature, so as to achieve a soft focus effect with clear focus, hazy background and clear layers.
It is actually not difficult to create a soft blur effect in Photoshop. The key is to master several core steps and layer processing techniques. The key is to control the degree of blurring so that the picture looks natural and without losing details.

Use Gaussian blur to create basic soft focus
The most direct way is to use the "Gaussian fuzzy" filter to achieve it. This function can evenly blur the image, suitable for background blur or overall soft focus effects.

The operation method is very simple:
- Copy the original layer to avoid destroying the original image;
- Find "Filter → Blur → Gaussian Blur" and the settings window pops up;
- The radius value is adjusted according to the size of the picture. Generally, try starting from 10, and adjust it while watching the preview;
- After the blur is completed, appropriately reduce the layer opacity to make the blur more natural.
Be careful not to be too ruthless once, otherwise it will easily appear fake. It is recommended to use it with a layer mask to wipe out the parts that do not need to be blurred.

Overlay soft light layers to enhance the atmosphere
After the basic blur, you can also superimpose a soft light layer to enhance the overall softness and layering.
The following methods are as follows:
- Create a new blank layer and fill it with 50% gray;
- Change the blending mode of this layer to "Soft Light";
- Use a soft white brush to gently apply the area you want to brighten or soften;
- Control the flow and opacity of the brush to avoid excessive attacks.
This step can make the photo look like a layer of soft light, which is especially suitable for skin modification and background transition in portrait photography.
Use masks to control virtual and real distribution
The truly beautiful soft focus is not the same blurry picture, but has key points and layers. At this time, you have to rely on layer masks to control locally.
You can do this:
- Add a black and white mask to the blur layer;
- Use a white brush to brush out where you want to retain the blur (such as the background);
- Use a black brush to erase the areas you don’t want to blur (such as the character’s subject);
- Adjust the softness and transparency of the brush to make the transition more natural.
This allows the focus to be focused on the main body of the picture, while the background remains hazy and the visual effect is more layered.
Basically, these methods can be combined to create a good soft focus effect. The key is to try a few more times to find the parameters and techniques that suit your picture.
The above is the detailed content of How to create a soft focus effect in Photoshop. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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