Apply Blur to Images in Illustrator CS6

Edited by Freya, VisiHow, Eng

3 Parts:
Steps
Video: Apply Blur to Images in Illustrator CS6
Comments

You're watching VisiHow. This tutorial will show you how to apply a blur effect to an image in Adobe Illustrator CS6 in Windows 7.

Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas352 35.jpg

Steps

  1. 1
    You should have Illustrator open and a document ready
    .
    In this video, a photograph is used; but you can use digital or even scanned drawings. Either way, try to use a high-quality image.
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas16 819.jpg
    Advertisement
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  2. 2
    Click the "Selection Tool" black arrow from the top-left side of your toolbar to select your object
    .
    You can also use different selection tools if you are working with more complicated shapes.
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas66 220034.jpg
    Advertisement
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  3. 3
    Click the object or image
    .
    A thin blue frame and anchor corners will appear, which means your object is now selected and ready for editing.
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas73 545093.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  4. 4
    Click "Effect" at the top of the window
    .
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas90 321701.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  5. 5
    Within the "Photoshop Effects" section, move the cursor to "Blur"
    .
    A menu will appear where you can select which blur you would like: "Gaussian Blur...", "Radial Blur...", or "Smart Blur...".
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas96 746.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  6. 6
    First, let's click "Gaussian Blur..."
    .
    A small dialogue box will appear.
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas102 907581.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  7. 7
    You can click and drag the dialogue box around your canvas
    .
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas117 456005.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  8. 8
    Ensure the "Preview" box in the bottom-left corner is checked
    .
    Without applying the changes, the image or objects will be blurred.
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas115 904834.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  9. 9
    You can adjust the intensity of the blur by clicking and dragging the "Radius" scroller to the left and right
    .
    Alternatively, you can manually type the number of pixels.
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas147 035.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  10. 10
    When you are satisfied with your settings, simply click "OK" to apply the changes
    .
    The "Gaussian Blur" is really good for general blur or haze. You can exaggerate a blurry and soft-focus background to pull the in-focus foreground even more forward.
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas157 289.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  11. 11
    Press "Ctrl" + "Z" to step back
    .
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas158 067532.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  12. 12
    Click the image to ensure that it is selected
    .
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas159 318058.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  13. 13
    Click "Effect"
    .
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas160 595297.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  14. 14
    Move the cursor to "Blur"
    .
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas162 206859.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  15. 15
    Next, click "Radial Blur..."
    .
    This blur has a radius with a central point of blurring. Again, a small dialogue box will appear. There is a contour preview within the dialogue box, which shows you the shape of the blur.
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas172 668.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  16. 16
    You can adjust the "Amount"
    .
    You can click and drag the scroller or type a value in the input box. This intensifies or lessens the blur as desired.
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas205 996.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  17. 17
    You can click either "Spin" or "Zoom"
    .
    These make your image look like it is spinning or being zoomed in.
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas223 805.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  18. 18
    Finally, you can adjust the "Quality" option
    .
    "Draft" will be the worst quality but faster to work with because of the size, whereas "Best" might slow down your computer a little. It's recommended to leave "Quality" on "Good".
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas248 013.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  19. 19
    Then, click "OK" to apply your settings
    .
    You cannot preview this option.
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas256 292.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  20. 20
    Press "Ctrl" + "Z" to step back
    .
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas263 480529.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  21. 21
    Click "Effect"
    .
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas265 400409.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  22. 22
    Move the cursor to "Blur"
    .
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas267 170965.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  23. 23
    Finally, click "Smart Blur..."
    .
    A preview box will appear.
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas269 186839.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  24. 24
    We can click and drag away the preview box
    .
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas273 54509.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  25. 25
    Click the plus and minus icons under the preview to zoom in and out
    .
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas282 4512.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  26. 26
    Click the arrow next to a percentage under the preview
    .
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas288 712142.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  27. 27
    Click the zoom percentage
    .
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas290 306631.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  28. 28
    You can edit the "Radius" value
    .
    You can do it by clicking and dragging the slider or by typing the value into the box next to "Radius". The filter blurs things like sky and brings everything else forward. It is the way of Illustrator and Photoshop to help you in your work.
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas294 040727.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  29. 29
    You can adjust the "Threshold" value in the same manner
    .
    The preview will be subtly updated.
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas325 473624.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  30. 30
    Click the "Quality" drop-down menu
    .
    The default setting is "Low". You can easily change that to "Medium" or "High".
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas333 836764.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  31. 31
    Click the "Mode" drop-down menu
    .
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas340 006013.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  32. 32
    Let's click "Edge Only"
    .
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas341 48588.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  33. 33
    Click the "Mode" drop-down menu again
    .
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas343 229333.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  34. 34
    Click "Overlay Edge"
    .
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas344 168937.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
  35. 35
    Then, click "OK" to apply changes to your image
    .
    Apply A Blur Effect To An Image On Adobe Illustrator CS6.mp4-canvas349 555267.jpg
    Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

This concludes our tutorial showing you how to apply a "Blur" effect to an image in Adobe Illustrator CS6 in Windows 7. If you have any questions or comments regarding this video or the program used, then just add them to the comment section below. Thank you for choosing VisiHow!

Was this helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Video: Apply Blur to Images in Illustrator CS6

If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

Comments

VisiHow welcomes all comments. If you do not want to be anonymous, register or log in. It is free.

Article Info

Categories : Software

Recent edits by: VisiHow, Freya

Share this Article:

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,533 times.

x

Thank Our Volunteer Authors.

Would you like to give back to the community by fixing a spelling mistake? Yes | No