Hi....
I took this picture yesterday from my window when the birds came to eat. How do I blur the background so that the main subject becomes more prominent. Is there a youtube tutorial for this ?
Well, Hussain, I'm no expert, but I'd try to make a new layer in Photoshop and use the Gaussian blur filter to blur one of the photos. Then create a layer mask with the birds selected. I'd also feather the selection back a little to try to avoid the halo effect you are bound to get.
It is worth a try but getting the edges of the birds correct without the halo is very difficult
Blurring the background of this image will look fake because the birds are on roughly the same focal plane as the palm tree.
I think you would be better off cropping as much as you can instead if you can spare the pixels.
I agree with John here, Hussain. I don't think that you'll be able to apply a blur that doesn't look fake. Since this is a feeder shot, if you want blurred bgs, I would work on the feeder set up. Put the feeder somewhere that the bg is distant and near a few perches (whether set up or natural) that the birds will use when coming to the feeder. And of course, the closer you get to the subject, the narrower your DOF will be, rendering the bg, wherever it is, more blurred. You're already using a wide aperture, which is the other obvious factor in blurring bgs.
One option you have is to create a new layer, then use the Burn tool (located in your toolbar) set to Midtones at a low Exposure (start with 10%--see the small windows at the top of your screen). With a small brush size to start, carefully (and with a light touch) darken the entire palm tree surrounding the birds to help make them stand out a bit better.
Combined with a crop, this may be a successful route for you.
Discussion
6 repliesI took this picture yesterday from my window when the birds came to eat. How do I blur the background so that the main subject becomes more prominent. Is there a youtube tutorial for this ?
Camera: Canon60D
Lens:Canon EF500mmL USM
Focal Length:500mm
f/5
Shutter:1/2500sec
Spot metering
ISO 800
Tripod.
Your advice will be helpful.
Hussain
It is worth a try but getting the edges of the birds correct without the halo is very difficult
I think you would be better off cropping as much as you can instead if you can spare the pixels.
Combined with a crop, this may be a successful route for you.
Good luck!