You often don’t want everyone’s face visible in a picture. Maybe you’re protecting someone’s privacy, de-identifying people for legal reasons, or just experimenting with your photo-editing skills. Whatever the reason, Adobe Photoshop makes it super easy to get a blurred face effect in your images.
Below, we’ll discuss two methods and discuss the steps for the simplest one so you can start editing your picture right away!
Table of Contents
Method to Blur a Face For Privacy Reasons in Photoshop
Photoshop offers two methods to de-identify people by blurring their faces. So, let’s quickly run through them.
Method 1: Blur Filters
Blur Filters, such as Gaussian Blur, apply a controlled amount of blur across the selected area so the face is unrecognizable. However, the edited area may look unnatural if you don’t blend it well with the rest of the image.
Method 2: Blur Tool
The Blur Tool is basically a brush that lets you paint over the face and soften the area. The catch is that it might take longer to get an even blur across the whole face.
Steps to Make Blurred Face In Photoshop
For this guide, we’ll focus on the Blur Filter method to blur a face for privacy reasons since it works quite well for most situations. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Import Your Picture
First, launch “Photoshop” and click “Open” on the main dashboard. Select your picture from your computer and click “Open” to import it to the editing interface. You can also import the file from Lightroom Photos, Your Files (cloud), and Shared With You.
Now, right-click the background layer in the “Layers” panel and choose “Duplicate Layer.”
Rename it to “Blur Effect” and click “OK” to confirm your action.
Step 2: Apply the Blur Filter
Next up, choose the “Blur Effect” layer and click “Lasso Tool” or “Marquee Tool.” Make a selection around the face. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect; you can always hold Shift to add areas or ALT to remove and refine the selection.
Then, click “Filter” in the top menu bar, choose “Blur,” and select “Gaussian Blur.”
A dialog box will pop up. Start with a lower radius of around 15-25 pixels, adjust until the face is completely unrecognizable but looks natural, and hit “OK.”
Step 3: Export the Picture With Blur Face
Finally, click “File” on the top left corner of the Photoshop interface. Choose “Export” and select “Export As” from the sub-menu.
A new window will open up. Here, set the file format and size and click “Export.”
After that, rename the file, choose the location, and click “Save” to export the picture with the blurred face from Photoshop.
Tips and Tricks
Feather Your Selection
Before applying blur, go to “Select,” choose “Modify,” and select “Feather.” Then, increase the pixels to 50. This creates a softer transition between the blurred and unblurred areas and makes your picture look way more professional.
Experiment With Different Blur Types
Don’t limit yourself to Gaussian Blur. Play around with other blur filters to find the one that best suits your image. For example, Motion Blur smears the face, while Box Blur gives you a blocky effect.
Work On a Duplicate Layer
Always duplicate your image layer before applying any changes. This way, you can easily undo mistakes or compare the before and after versions.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Overdoing the Blur
If you apply too much blur effect, the face may look like a blob. So, always start with a minimum radius and increase the value to achieve the desired outcome.
Inconsistent Blur Levels
Don’t use different blur intensities on different faces in the same photo. It looks weird and draws attention to your edits.
Blurring Without Selection
If you forget to make a selection, you might end up blurring the whole image instead of just the face. Always select the area you want to edit first using the Lasso, Quick Selection, or Marquee Tools.
FAQs
Can I Unblur a Face Later?
You can remove or adjust the blur if you’ve saved your work as a PSD file with layers. However, if you’ve flattened or saved it as a JPEG or PNG, you cannot unblur the face later.
Will Face Detection Still Work on Blurred Faces?
Although it depends on the blur intensity, most face recognition software and tools generally cannot detect a face if you’ve blurred it properly.
Conclusion
As we conclude, you’ve learned how to get the blurred face effect using the “Blur Filters” in Adobe Photoshop. We’ve also provided some tips that you need to follow and common mistakes to avoid!
Always keep in mind that the key to right face blurring is finding the balance between privacy protection and natural appearance.
