Add creative blur in Photoshop

Learn how to create a diffuse glow effect while maintaining natural colours

Meet the editing pro

James Abbott is a professional photographer and photography journalist, specialising in shooting and editing techniques. He recently released his first book, covering professional image editing skills in both Adobe Photoshop and Affinity Photo. @jamesaphoto www.jamesaphoto.co.uk

Blur can be a fantastic way to add a subtle sense of atmosphere to landscape and outdoor photos. While that may sound ludicrous when you’ve spent a fortune on the best lenses for capturing sharp and highly detailed images, the technique doesn’t reduce detail. With the right settings, a diffuse glow takes some of the harshness away from detail for a more atmospheric look. 

What you’ll be using

Layer duplication

Blending modes

Gaussian Blur

Layer Opacity

Curves