Blurring the background of an image can draw attention to a person or object in the foreground of the shot. The blurring is usually done while taking the photo with your camera, but it is also possible to add this effect during post-processing with an image editor such as GIMP. Using GIMP, you can define which area of your photo you want to remain in focus and then apply a blur effect to the background.
- Now pick Airbrush Tool from the toolbox. To select, click the Toolbox and then press the button A (shortcut). Mode - The list of 23 options enables you to modify an image with different options. Opacity - This option increases the strength of the tool and also makes the background of an image vague when the image is brushed.
Step 1
Step 2
Click 'Open' and select the image with the background that you want to blur.
Step 3
Click 'Open' to load the image into the GIMP editor.
Step 4
Right-click the image name on the 'Layers' window and select 'Duplicate Layer' from the context menu. Double-click the layer name in the Layers window and type 'Background' (without quotation marks) as the layer name.
Step 5
Use the Free Select tool, Fuzzy Select tool or Paths tool to specify the area of the image that is the foreground.
Step 6
Press 'Ctrl-C' to copy the selected foreground area to the clipboard.
Step 7
Click 'Layers' from the menu bar and select 'New Layer.'
Step 8
Type 'Foreground' as the layer name and click 'OK.'
Step 9
Click 'Foreground' from the Layers window, and then press 'Ctrl-V' to paste the foreground image onto this layer.
Step 10
Select the 'Move' tool from the Toolbox and click any area outside the selected foreground area.
Step 11
Select the 'Background' layer from the Layers window and then select 'Filters' from the Menu bar.
Step 12
Click 'Blur' and select the type of blur you want to apply to the image background. Select 'Gaussian Blur' for a normal blur, 'Simple Blur' if you only want to soften the background, or 'Motion Blur' to create the illusion of motion in your blur.
Step 13
Adjust the blur settings for the chosen blur filter while checking the preview pane. For example, when using a Gaussian blur, you can adjust the horizontal and vertical blur radius; with a motion blur, you can set the angle and length.
Click 'OK' when you are satisfied with the blur effect to apply the filter to the background of your image.
Tip
- Select the 'Blur/Sharpen' tool from the Toolbox and apply it to the edges of the objects on your Foreground layer if the contrast between foreground and background is too high. The Blur/Sharpen tool enables you to soften the edges of objects for better blending.
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When you are designing a document for work, sometimes you want to spruce it up with dotted lines. Whether you are drawing a dotted-line box around important text to make it stand out, or you are creating a signature space in a document so a client can sign on the dotted line, this design device can come in handy in several instances. Creating dotted lines dot by dot can be tedious and annoying. GIMP takes this headache away with the 'Stroke Path' menu.
Step 1
Launch GIMP and open the document in which you want to draw a dotted line.
Step 2
Choose a color for the line from the 'Change Foreground Color' menu.
Step 3
Click the 'Paths Tool' tool, and draw a straight line in the document where you want the dotted line to appear.
Step 4
Right-click on the line, choose 'Edit' and click 'Stroke Path.'
Step 5
Click 'Solid Color' from the window that appears, and click the triangle next to 'Line Style' to make more options appear.
Step 6
Click the 'Dash Preset' drop-down menu, and choose the line style you prefer.
Step 7
Click 'Stroke' to close the Stroke Path window, and the solid line you drew will turn into a dotted line.
Tip
- This method works for GIMP 2.8. Instructions may vary for other versions of the product.
References
About the Author
Rosemary Peters holds a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and a Master of Science in science communication. She has worked on editorial and design content across several publications, including 'The Beacon' and 'International Innovation.' She has also spent time working in the Science radio unit at the BBC.
Photo Credits
- Chad Baker/Thomas Northcut/Lifesize/Getty Images