Adobe Photoshop CS4 Studio Techniques

Blurring and Sharpening

When you need to blur or sharpen an area, you have two choices: Select an area and apply a filter, or use the Blur and Sharpen tools. Using filters to blur and sharpen offers a few advantages over using the tools, including getting a preview of the image before you commit to the settings, and having the ability to apply the filter effect evenly to the area you’re changing. But occasionally the Blur and Sharpen tools can really help when working on small areas, so let’s take a look at how they work and when to use them.

Blur Tool

The Blur tool is pretty straightforward, blurring everything that the cursor passes over as you paint across the image. In the options bar, the Strength setting determines how much the Blur tool ...