Blur skies with ease

Matty Graham explains how you can create long-exposure effects by using the Radial Blur filter in Elements instead of Neutral Density filters

- Matty Graham

THE MISSION

Recreate the look of a long exposure in Photoshop Elements

Time needed 10 minutes

Skill level Beginner

Kit needed Photoshop Elements 2020

So, you’re on a day out with the camera and you realise the best way to capture a spectacular landscape scene would be by introducing some movement into the clouds, or water if you are near the coast. This is usually done with a long exposure and accessories like a light-blocking 10-stop ND filter to make this easier. But what do you do if you’ve left your filters at home?

Fear not! I’m going to show you a way you can still realize your vision of the scene and it’s all thanks to the to the filters found in Photoshop CC and the budget-friendly Elements software we’ll be using here, specifically the Radial Blur filter which will allow you to replicate the zoom blur effect in the sky as clouds would move in a long exposure.

The Radial Blur filter is also found in the full version of Photoshop CC and effectively gives the pixels in your frame a streaked effect, which recreates the effect of clouds moving through the sky during that long exposure.

The technique works especially well with landscape scenes that feature big skies, whether captured on a dark, moody day, or brighter skies with clouds that will show off the movement effect. What’s more, it’s a great trick to try out on some older images from your archive to breathe new life into your images.