Photoshop Tutorial: Adding a motion blur and using a layer mask

Nov 28, 2007 by Jennifer Farley    8 Comments    Posted under: Photoshop Tutorials

In today’s short video tutorial, I’m going to run through how to create the effect of a motion blur in Photoshop. This is pretty easy to do using filters such as the, ahem, “motion blur” filter. If you apply the motion blur to the whole image, then the whole lot looks blurry so for that reason I’m using a layer mask to reveal only the parts of the image that should be blurred. This gives a more realistic appearance to the blur. There is nearly always two ways to do things in Photoshop, so what you see here before you is one method. All comments and suggestions are welcome!

Tags: digital photography, Photoshop Tutorials

8 Comments + Add Comment

• Jason D. Moore Photography » Blog Archive » P&P Weekly: #58 December 3, 2007 at 12:25 pm

  [...] Jennifer of Laughing Lion Design has a tutorial about adding a motion blur and using a layer mask. [...]
• 
  Ryan Cronin January 12, 2008 at 2:24 pm

  Nice to see an irish tutorial i have to say, cheers.
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  Jennifer January 12, 2008 at 8:02 pm

  Hi Ryan, thanks for visiting!

  Your photographs on your website are fantastic.
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  Kevin January 15, 2008 at 2:03 am

  Nice quick tutorial, well done Jennifer
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  Jennifer January 15, 2008 at 10:52 am

  Thanks Kevin.
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  Nancy February 29, 2008 at 2:26 am

  I have Photoshop and it drives me nuts…Thanks for all the information and related pages…
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  Dave Young December 31, 2008 at 5:35 pm

  I was having trouble doing a simple motion blur…now it is easy, thanks!

  Dave
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  Jennifer Farley January 2, 2009 at 8:03 pm

  Dave and Nancy, you’re very welcome.