How to Apply a Tilt-Shift Blur Effect in Adobe Photoshop

Tilt-Shift Blur is one of the options in Photoshop's Blur Gallery, which allows selective blurring of some regions of an image while maintaining focal points in others. Tilt-Shift creates blurs in a linear direction. To apply a tilt-shift blur to an image, follow these four steps.

This features works the same in Adobe Photoshop CS6 and CC.

1. Turn the layer to be blurred into a Smart Object by choosing the layer in the Layers Panel, then going to the panel menu and selecting Convert to Smart Object.
2. Go to Filter > Blur Gallery > Tilt-Shift.
3. The gallery interface features an Options Bar and Panels with blur controls on the image preview:
   • Center Pin: Drag to the focal target (the area not to blur).
   • Blur Ring: Drag to adjust blur amount.
   • Feather Lines (mirrored either side of Center Pin and Blur Ring): Drag to adjust the point where the image has transitioned to the maximum blur.
   • Focus Lines (mirrored either side of Center Pin and Blur Ring): Drag to adjust the point where the blur begins.
   • Rotate Handles (mirrored either side of Center Pin and Blur Ring): Drag to rotate the direction of the blur.
   
4. Use the blur controls to adjust the focus, direction, and blur zone. When satisfied, click OK. Tip: Holding down theShiftkey constrains rotation to 22.5° increments.