Are you bored of taking pictures with settings that make the subject stand out? Do you want to learn how to make beautiful pictures with backgrounds that are gently blurred? Okay, don’t look any further. This part will show you how to hide a background in Lightroom step by step.

By following these easy steps how to Blur Background in Lightroom, you can make beautiful pictures with a blurred background that will make the subject stand out and draw people in. 

Step-By-Step Guide For Blur Effect

Using background blur for more than looks is possible; it can be used to draw attention to a certain area or hide certain features. Even though the best way to blur the background is to use the camera’s settings, you need to remember to use the bigger aperture sometimes. The good news is that Lightroom has many tools that can be used for this. This guide will show you how to use Brushes and Radial Filters in Lightroom to blur the background.

When you want to hide something very specifically, you can use the Lightroom Brush Tool. If you want to be in charge of the blur, this is the one to use. Radial Filters, on the other hand, can only be used in certain shapes, but they save you the most time. 

How to Blur Background in Lightroom Using 3 Ways

Any one of these three Lightroom tools can be used to blur a background:

First, click on the Masks icon in Lightroom’s toolbar, which is just below the Histogram. This will depend on the choice you make. Next, decide which tool you want to use to blur the picture. Here, we discuss step-by-step how to blur the Background in Lightroom.

Blur Method 1: Brush

The first way shows how to use the Brushes to blur the background in Lightroom. For the reasons already given, this method lets us choose exactly where the blur will be applied. Let’s check it out.

Step 1:

Open the picture and start changing in Lightroom’s Develop Module. This is the first thing you need to do.

Step 2: 

In this step, you need to hide the parts of the picture that you want to blur. We will have to make the mask ourselves since we only need to blur certain parts of the image. The Brush Tool can help you do that. To do this, go to the Brush Panel and choose one of the pre-set brush effects. You can also make a brush effect, but it takes longer because you have to change a lot of settings. Presets are better to start with, but once you get the hang of the tool, you can move on to unique effects.

Step 3: 

The third step is to paint the picture to make a mask after choosing the effect. Click on the Show Selected Mask Overlay button in the box. When you paint over an area, this choice will make that area stand out in red so you know exactly where to put the blur. Blur can also be erased to get rid of it from some parts of the picture. To learn how to hide the background in Lightroom, this is the most important step. You can also change the brush effect at any time during the process, and the change will be made to the whole picture.

Step 4: 

In the last step, all that’s left to do is change the Clarity and Sharpness numbers to make the blur effect just right. These numbers aren’t set in stone; they change from picture to picture. Just try out different numbers to see which one makes the image look better. After making changes that look good, you can save the image.

Blur Method 2: Radial Gradient

Now, let’s look at how to use Radial Filters to blur the background in Lightroom. It’s available by clicking on the Histogram and then on New. The choices will then appear when you click on the arrows.

Step 1:

change the Feather number. It controls the point at which the picture goes from being sharp to being blurry. For a smooth result, pick a number around 50.

As we’ve already talked about, Radial Filters are used in a certain form, which can be an oval or a circle. You can choose Invert Mask if you want the blur to be inside that shape.

Step 2: 

The next step is to add the Radial Filter to the picture. It’s easy to move around in the picture. You can also click and drag the filter to change its shape. The same process can also be used to change the filter’s size.

Step 3: 

We need to change the blur effect, just like we did in the last step. Both Clarity and Sharpness numbers can be changed to make that happen. There isn’t a hard and fast rule for this, as we already said. You can use the sliders to find the numbers that work best with the images you’re given.

Step 4: 

At this point, you only know how to use Radial Filters to blur the background in Lightroom; this step is not required. Another step that is like one in the first method is this one. You can see the blurred spots better if you use the Colored Overlay. Some areas can be erased or blurred if you don’t want them to be blurry. 

Blur Method 3: Straight Gradient

When you use the graded filter, this is what you’ll get. So, you can pick pictures like the one above where you want to hide the front and back of the subject.

Step 1:

So, pick out a good picture and bring it into Lightroom. Follow the steps to get to the Develop area.

Step 2: 

Next to the horizontal filter, this is the third tool from the right that you can use to make changes. To use it, click on it.

Take note that this one doesn’t give you any new settings. That’s because you’ll tweak it directly, but I’ll get to that later.

Step 3: 

Move your mouse over the area you want to blur and click. Take note of the three lines that show up. To change the feathering, click and drag the ones on the outside.

The lines will transfer better if they are farther apart, and the opposite will also be true. You can also change the lines’ direction; they don’t have to be straight up and down.

Step 4:

You don’t have to do this step if you don’t want to. I had to have one for the back of the subject and one for the front in my case.

Step 5:

Now, just like the other ways, you need to find the Sharpness button and move it to the left. You can change each filter separately by clicking on it. 

Final Words

I hope you liked this guide on how to hide the background in Lightroom. As you can see, adding blur effects in Lightroom is really simple. They work great for editing photos to make the subject “pop.”

Now, learn how to blur the background on an iPhone and how to blur the background in Photoshop Elements.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)