Luminar NEO: How to use Blur Tool

The Blur Tool in Luminar NEO is a helpful feature that allows you to add a soft, blurred effect to your images and other elements that you may add through the Layers panel. The tool offers four different blur filters - Gaussian, Motion, Twisted (Radial) and Tilt-shift. Each comes with options to adjust the blur effect's strength, direction, and centre. The Blur tool is a great way to add a professional-looking touch to your photos without spending a lot of time tweaking various settings.

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In this article:

• What is the Blur Tool
• Introducing Blur Tool sliders
• Getting started with the Blur tool
• Video tutorial
• Luminar NEO

What is Blur Tool

Luminar NEO's creative section of the main editing toolbar has recently introduced the Blur Tool in Update 1.13.0. This tool offers a simple interface to add blur effects to your images or other project elements. The Blur Tool provides four blur filters: Gaussian, Motion, Twisted (Radial), and Tilt-shift. Each filter produces a unique result, and the Amount, Angle, and Place Blur Centre controllers can control each filter's effects. Moreover, you can also use the masking tool to apply the effect to a specific part of the image.

The Gaussian blur filter creates a soft and dreamy look, similar to looking at the image through glass. The Motion blur filter can be adjusted to achieve the popular panning effect and create the illusion of motion in the image. The Twisted blur filter produces a zoomed or rotating look similar to the traditional Radial blur. Lastly, the Tilt-shift filter lets you twist the image's depth and create a miniature (diorama) effect.

Introducing Blur Tool sliders and controllers

Gaussian, Motion, Twisted, Tilt-Shift Switch

Use the switch buttons to choose from the four different blur filters, 

Amount Slider

The Amount slider allows you to adjust the blur level applied to your image. It's set to 0 by default, but you can increase it to 100. To fine-tune the Amount slider, double-click on the number next to the slider and enter a specific value using your keyboard.

Angle Slider

The Angle slider can adjust the direction of Motion and Twisted blur filters. The default value is 0 and can be set to +/- 90.

Place Blur Center Button

The Place Blur Center button allows you to adjust the centre of the Twisted and Tilt-shift blur effects. Click on the button and then position the centre with the point that will appear on your image using your mouse.

Tilt-shift Gradient Controllers

The tilt-shift filter comes with gradient-like controllers that appear when selected. To access them, click on the Place Blur Center button. The adjustments available are similar to the gradient masking option. The center of the gradient is in perfect focus, while the blur starts from the second set of lines and gradually increases from 0 (on the line) to 100% blur strength after the third set of lines. You can adjust the blur areas by dragging the lines with your mouse. You can also rotate the effect by hovering outside the white center point with your mouse.

Getting started with Blur Tool

To access the Blur Tool in the editing panel, go to the "Edit" module and find it in the Creative section of the main toolbar. You can use it at any point during photo editing. Once you are ready to use the tool, select the desired blur effect and adjust the amount, direction, and center of the blur based on your preference. Once you are happy with the effect, you can use the masking tool to apply it to a specific part of the photo of your image.

1. Open your image and move it into the Edit module (E).
2. Apply initial development using tools in the Essential section of the editing toolbar.
3. Once ready, open the blur tool and select the blur effect.
4. Use the Amount slider to adjust the amount of the blur effects applied to your image.
5. Depending on the blur effect you chosen, use the Angle slider to adjust the direction of the blur.
6. If you are using the Twisted blur, use the Place Blur Center button to adjust the centre of the blur.
7. Use the Masking tab (Optional) to apply the effect to a specific part of your image.
8. Close the tool and apply it to your image.
9. Finally, utilize other editing tools in the application to continue refining the image.

Blur Tool video tutorial

Watch the full video tutorial covering all controls in this tool.

Luminar NEO

Luminar Neo is the latest editing software from Skylum. It was announced back in September 2021 and has been highly anticipated.

Luminar Neo is an AI-powered photo editing software. Skylum has said that Neo isn’t replacing their previous release—Luminar AI. But Neo sets out to fix some of the issues users faced with Luminar AI.

We were impressed with the AI tools in Luminar AI. But like many others, we encountered performance issues. Luminar Neo uses the same AI tools, but the new high-speed core engine improves speed and performance.

Luminar Neo isn’t just more of the same. We’re happy to see Skylum has taken Neo in a different direction, adding layer and mask AI tools to the program. This broadens Neo’s appeal, taking it in an Adobe Photoshop direction.

Learn more about Luminar NEO here.

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