Creating a beautiful blurred background or bokeh effect can turn an ordinary photo into a striking image that highlights your subject. Adobe Lightroom offers a powerful set of tools to help you achieve this professional look with ease. Whether you’re a seasoned photographer or a beginner, this tutorial will walk you through the steps to know how to blur background in Lightroom, professionally enhancing the quality of your photos. 

When to Blur the Background in a Photo

Blurring the background of a photo can greatly enhance its visual appeal by drawing attention to the subject and creating a professional, artistic effect. Here are some situations where you might want to blur the background in a photo:

In portrait photography, knowing how to blur the background is useful for highlighting the subject. It emphasizes facial expressions and details, ensuring the viewer’s attention is focused on the person and not on any distracting elements in the background.

When displaying products, a blurred background can help focus on the product. This is especially useful in advertising and e-commerce, where the goal is to make the product the star of the image.

When photographing buildings or interior spaces, blurring the background can help emphasize specific architectural features or design elements, making the space appear more attractive and professional.

How to Blur Background in Lightroom – 2 methods

Is there a blur tool in Lightroom? After all, we tend to think of it like a Photoshop function. But actually, there are many other tools that help you know how to blur background in Lightroom. I will show you two such methods.

1. Lightroom background blur: Brushes

Step 1: Import your photos

In Lightroom, the process begins by importing your images into the library, unlike other programs where you can simply open the file.

To import your photos, go to the menu and select File > Import Photos and Videos. This action will open a browser window, allowing you to navigate and select the files you want to import. Once you have selected your file, click the Import button located in the bottom right corner of the window.

Step 2: Select the adjustment Brush tool

After importing your images into the Lightroom Library, switch to the Develop module to start editing. In this module you will find all the editing controls on the right side of the screen.

At the top of the panel, you’ll see the various adjustment tools available in Lightroom. Locate the Adjustment Brush tool, which is the first icon on the right. Click this icon to activate the Adjustment Brush.

When the Adjustment Brush is enabled, you’ll notice that the options at the bottom of the panel change to show custom settings for the brush, such as size and feathers. Adjust these settings as needed to prepare your photo for editing.

Step 3: Customize the Adjustment Brush

To tailor the Adjustment Brush to your specific needs, you can modify its size and firmness.

Size: Use the Size slider to control the diameter of the brush tip. Adjust this slider to make the brush larger or smaller, depending on the area you need to select.

Feather: The Feather slider allows you to adjust the hardness of the brush edges. Higher fur values ​​will create a softer, more gradual transition between the brushed area and the rest of the image, while lower fur values ​​will create harder edges. Adjust this setting based on whether you want smooth transitions or sharp edges around your selection.

These adjustments help you fine-tune the brush to precisely fit the area you’re working in, ensuring more precise and professional editing.

Step 4: Paint Over the Background

When using the Adjustment Brush, any area you paint will be affected by the adjustments you make – in this case, blurring the background. Therefore, it’s important to paint only the background and avoid the subject.

Initial Painting: Start by painting over the background. Don’t worry if your initial strokes aren’t very precise; you can refine your selection in the next step.

Accuracy: For greater precision, enable the “Show Selected Mask Overlay” option. This feature highlights the painted areas in red, making it easier to see exactly where you’ve applied the brush.

Using these techniques will help ensure that the adjustments affect only the background, leaving your subject sharp and in focus.

Step 5: Blur the Background

Move up in the panel until you find the Sharpness slider.

Drag the Sharpness slider to the left to start blurring the background. The further left you drag, the more blurred the background will become.

Uncheck the “Show Selected Mask Overlay” box to hide the red overlay and better see the blur effect on your photo.

By adjusting the Sharpness slider, you can effectively blur the background, enhancing the focus on your subject.

2. Lightroom background blur: Radial Filters

Step 1: Import your photos

Import your photos into Lightroom by choosing File > Import Photos and Videos, or open the photo if it’s already in your catalog. This method works best with images where the subject and background can be effectively separated using an oval or circle. For example, it’s ideal for creating soft vignettes or when your foreground subject is round.

Step 2: Select Radial Filter

Switch to the Develop module and select Radial Filter from the adjustment tools. This is the second icon from the right on the toolbar at the top of the panel.

Step 3: Make the selection

Click on the center of your subject and drag the mouse outwards to create a circle or oval around it. Don’t worry if it’s not perfectly precise initially; you can adjust it as needed once it’s created.

Step 4: Fine-Tune the Selection

Click and drag on the edges of the oval or circle to resize and reshape the selection. If the shape doesn’t fit properly around the subject, you may need to drag the center pin to reposition it.

Use the Feather slider to control the transition area between the blurred background and the sharp subject. Sliding to the left decreases the feathering (harder edge), while sliding to the right increases it (softer edge). To see this more clearly, you can enable the red mask overlay.

If you need to make further adjustments, you can use the brush tool to refine the selection more precisely.

Step 5: Blur the Background

Move up in the panel and find the Sharpness slider. Drag it to the left to start blurring the background.

Uncheck the “Show Selected Mask Overlay” box to hide the red overlay and see the blur effect on your photo more clearly.

By carefully fine-tuning the selection and adjusting the sharpness, you can effectively blur the background while keeping your subject in sharp focus.

How to blur background in Lightroom Mobile?

If you need to know how to blur the background in Lightroom using your smartphone, Lightroom Mobile offers a variety of methods similar to its desktop version. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you achieve this effect:

Step 1: Import or Capture Your Image

Open Lightroom Mobile and either import an image from your gallery or take a new photo using Lightroom’s camera feature.

Step 2: Activate Selective Mode

Scroll through the editing menu and find the Selective mode. Tap on it to activate selective adjustments.

Tap on the Plus icon on the left to open the selective tools menu.

Step 3: Choose Your Selective Tool

Choose from Radial Filter, Graduated Filter, or Brush, depending on the type of selection you want to make.

Tap and drag on the image to create the selection mask around the area you want to blur.

Step 4: Adjust the Mask

If needed, tap and hold on the pin to open the Mask options where you can Invert, Duplicate, or Delete the mask for better control.

Step 5: Blur the Background

Scroll through the menu until you find the Detail section. Tap on it to open the sliders.

Drag the Sharpening slider to the left to blur the background effectively.

Step 6: Save or Share Your Image

Once you’re satisfied with the blur effect, save your image.

You can then share your final image directly from Lightroom Mobile to your social media or photo gallery.

By following these steps, you can easily blur the background of your photos using Lightroom Mobile, making your subject stand out and giving your images a professional touch.

Remove.pics: The Ultimate Background Removal Tool Compared to Lightroom

When it comes to photo editing, particularly background removal, choosing the right tool can make a world of difference. Two popular options are Remove.pics and Adobe Lightroom, each with its unique features and benefits. In this article, we’ll explore why Remove.pics stands out as a specialized tool for background removal, and how it compares to Lightroom.

How to use Remove.pics

Step 1. Visit the website: Open your browser and go to Remove.pics.

Step 2. Upload your photo: Select a photo from your computer or device and upload it.

Select and upload your image.

Step 3. Remove background: Wait a few seconds for the tool to process and remove the background from your photo.

Wait and let’s Remove.pics do all for you.

Step 4. Download your photo: After removing the background, you can download the photo and use it immediately.

Remove.pics vs. Lightroom: Which One to Choose?

Ease of Use

– Remove.pics: Extremely easy to use with automatic background removal.

– Lightroom: Requires more knowledge and time to manually remove backgrounds.

Precision

– Remove.pics: High precision with AI-driven automatic background detection.

– Lightroom: Precision depends on user skill and manual adjustments.

Functionality

– Remove.pics: Specialized in background removal.

– Lightroom: Comprehensive editing suite with a wide range of tools.

Accessibility

– Remove.pics: Accessible online from any device.

– Lightroom: Requires installation and is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud subscription.

If you need a quick, accurate, and easy way to remove backgrounds from your images, Remove.pics is the perfect tool for the job. Its simplicity and precision make it ideal for users who want fast results without the hassle of manual editing.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for a comprehensive editing solution with advanced features and don’t mind spending more time on manual adjustments, Lightroom offers the versatility and depth you need.

Ultimately, the choice depends on your specific needs and preferences. For dedicated background removal, Remove.pics is unparalleled. For broader photo editing capabilities, Lightroom is the go-to choice. Try Remove.pics today and experience effortless background removal for yourself!

Readmore: A Complete guide for High-Quality Product Photography Setup