We don’t usually think of intentionally blurring a picture to give it effect.  Most of the time, we want our pictures to be “tack sharp.”

However, Photoshop has a great tool called the Gaussian Blur that can lend a beautiful and ethereal appearance to photos.

The dreamy effect complements my daughter’s look well in this shot.  And, shhh, don’t tell anyone!  Using the Gaussian Blur is a good way to mask a picture that is hopelessly out-of-focus.

The photos in this post use a Gaussian Blur based technique called the Orton Effect.

To recreate it:

• Working on a flattened image, duplicate your background layer twice (right click on the background layer and select Duplicate).
• Change the Blending Mode of the top layer to Screen.
• Right click on the top layer and select Merge Down.
• Duplicate the new top layer.
• Go to the Filter Menu and select Blur/Gaussian Blur.
• Enter a raduis value of 20 to start with.  You can experiment with this value once you get the hang of the technique.
• Change the Blending Mode of this layer to Multiply and adjust its opacity as needed.
• If necessary, add a Levels Adjustment layer below the first level to perfect the colors.

Do you have questions?  I’m sure you’re not the only one.  Post them in the comments and you will get an answer!