Creating Soft Focus Lens Effect in Photoshop

In this article we will discuss how to simulate the feel of a soft focus lens using photoshop.

Open the Picture

Open the picture you wish to add the soft focus effect. Either Click File > Open or use keyboard shortcut Ctrl + O.

Duplicate Background Layer

By default when you open an image in photoshop the image is embedded in a layer called background. We will first make a copy of this layer. You can do this by either right clicking on the background layer in the layers palette and selecting duplicate layer or use keyboard shortcut Ctrl + J.

Note: if you right click and duplicate your layer, your new layer will be named background copy and if you duplicate your background layer by using keyboard shortcut Ctrl + J then your new layer will be named Layer 1. However in both the cases the new layer will be placed above the current layer i.e. the background layer.

In this article we will assume that we used the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + J to duplicate our background layer and so from now on we will address the new layer as Layer 1.

Click on Layer 1 in the layers palette to make it the active layer.

Apply Blur Effect to Layer 1

In order for our picture to look soft we need to apply a little blue to it. Apply Gaussian Blur to Layer 1 Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. You can control the amount of blur using the radius slider for the Gaussian blur. Our aim is to apply blur to the entire image in an aesthetically pleasing way. Remember the size of the image you are working determines the radius value required to produce the desired result. An image that is 800 by 600 pixels can do with a radius value of 9 or 10; but a much larger image will require higher values depending how large the image is. So move the radius slider and select the value that you feel is best for your image. For our image I used the value 7.

Set Opacity for Layer 1

Since Layer 1 is above the background layer, the content on the layer 1 is what is visible to the viewer’s. we will set the opacity of the layer so that content of the background layer will be visible through the contents of the Layer 1. Basically what we are doing is reducing the amount of blur and bringing back some details from the original image. The opacity control slider is located on the top right corner of the layers palette. Select layer 1 to make it the active layer and use the slider to control the opacity. Here again there is no hard and fast rule. How much of the original image you wish to reveal is entirely your choice. For this example I set my values to 60 %.

There is a keyboard shortcut to set opacity of layers. You may press any key from 0 to 9 in the Num’s Panel to set the opacity value. If you press 5 the opacity of the active layer will be set to 50 % and so on.

Masking the Blurred Layer

With layer 1 as the active layer click on the Layer Mask icon located at the bottom of the layers palette. You will notice a layer mask thumbnail has appeared next to Layer 1 in the layers palette.

Revealing Fine Details

Select Brush Tool

Select Brush tool by either clicking the icon or by pressing the keyboard shortcut B. Set the opacity of the brush to a lower value. In this example we are using an opacity of 20 %. Our aim here is to reduce the amount of blur in certain key areas of the picture, for example in our picture it is the face. But we don’t want to remove the blur completely so we set the opacity of the brush to 20 %, select black as the foreground colour and paint over the areas we wish to reduce the blur.

Whenever a layer mask is selected, photoshop sets the foreground colour to white and background colour to black. You can easily swap it by using the keyboard shortcut X.

Paint Over Areas Where You Wish to Reveal Detail

Painting over once will reduce blur. if you wish to reduce more release the left mouse button click again and repeat do as many times as you feel necessary.

A point to remember here is that previously when we reduced opacity of Layer 1 the effect was applied to the whole of the layer, but here we are only reducing the opacity of the brush so only areas we paint over with the brush are affected.

Notice the brackets next to the letter P on your keyboard. They are the shortcuts to increase / decrease the size, as well as to soften / harden the brush. The left bracket key when pressed decreases the size of the brush and the right bracket key increases it. Left bracket key along with Shift makes the brush tip softer and right bracket key along with Shift makes the brush tip harder.

Left Bracket key [ = make brush tip smaller

Right Bracket key ] = make brush tip larger

Shift + [ = make brush tip softer

Shift + ] = make brush tip harder

In this example the area I need to bring back detail is the little girl’s face. In any other picture remember the areas you wish to have detail will be the one’s which are most important in the frame. In the layers palette, if you look at the layer mask thumbnail you could clearly see the area which I painted black.

And here is our final result

Congratulations, you have now successfully created a soft focus lens effect

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