Blurring Photo Background in Post Production

• 1). Using the photo editing program of your choice, open the image you want to edit to create the blurred background.
  
  
• 2). Select the "Magic Wand" tool if using Photoshop, or the "Foreground" selector tool for GIMP or Paint.net. Click on the person in your picture. The program will select that part of the image, and it will be surrounded by a flashing string of small lines known as "Marching Ants."
  
  
• 3). Click "Select" in the navigation bar of the program, and click on "Inverse." This now changes the part of the photo you are working on from the subject to the background.
  
  
• 4). Click "Filter" in the navigation bar, and select "Blur" to soften the background of your photo. Do not soften it so much that it looks artificial. You still want your photo to look as realistic as possible.
  
  

In Camera Method

• 1). Attach a medium telephoto lens to your camera if you are using a single lens reflex camera. An 85mm lens is ideal as the optics at that focal length produce a picture that does not distort the subject features. If you don't have an 85mm lens, try a 50mm lens.
  
  
• 2). Turn the camera on, and set the exposure mode to "A" for "Aperture Priority."
  
  
• 3). Set the lens aperture to the largest opening, which is the smallest number. Professional 85mm and 50mm lenses have maximum apertures of f1.2. Your lens may have a different number, so select the lowest number you can.
  
  
• 4). Stand about 10 feet away from your subject, focus on the subject's eyes and take the picture. Review the image on your LCD screen to see if you have obtained the desired effect. If the background is too blurred, then you can increase the aperture slightly to add more focus to the background.