soft_focus

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Soft Focus

Update June 02, 2008. Reduced overall effect and increased masking on final image.

This is probably the best soft focus effect using GIMP. Great for portraits because it will soften the skin.

1. Open image. Duplicate layer.

2. Top layer go to Filters > Distorts > Value Propagate : Check more white, lower threshold 0, upper threshold 255, propagate rate 1. Check to left, to top, to right, to bottom. You can also use Filters > Generic > Dilate and Erode.

3. Repeat Value Propagate depending on the size of the image ( remember to use Ctrl+f ). For this particular photo ( 1148 x 868 pixels ) the process was repeated 24 times. Smaller images will need less repetitions, larger ones more.

4. Apply gaussian blur using the following formula : Y/2 x 3.2727273 = ( were Y is the number of times Value Propagate was repeated ). For this image 12 * 3.2727273 = 39.3 blur radius.

5. Now use the Motion Blur Filter. Blur Type = linear, Length to about the number of times Value Propagate was repeated ( for this image 24 ) and set Angle to 45.

6. Lower opacity of top layer. For this image I used 25% opacity.

7. Add white layer mask. With soft, black brush with opacity set to about 20% paint over several times the hair, eyes, lips and nostrils to help maintain their sharpness.

8. The final image :