P: New AI-powered Lens Blur (Early Access) available across all surfaces.

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

This post applies to Camera Raw, Lightroom Classic & the Lightroom Ecosystem products.

The Lightroom team is sharing an early look for AI-powered Lens Blur–giving you the ability to apply optical blur on any image regardless of how it was taken. Lens Blur is now available to try on all Lightroom surfaces.

How does Lens Blur work?

• Lens blur applies a depth-based blur effect, similar to what can be achieved with real-world optical lenses, by using AI-generated or device-captured depth data (when available).
• Lens blur will automatically prioritize focus for the detected subject, but you can also interactively adjust the focus distance. Precise focus range tuning is also available (currently desktop only: Lightroom Desktop, Lightroom Classic, and Camera Raw).
• You can also further customize the Bokeh shapes, highlight Boost (desktop only), and make depth map refinements (desktop only).

Will my Lens Blur adjustments on one surface be synced to other surfaces? I.e. mobile to web to desktop, and vice versa?

• Yes, all edits will sync. To revert settings, you can go back to previous versions or history steps, or un-apply Lens Blur settings.

Can I add Lens Blur settings to my presets?

• No, presets and copy + paste workflows are not currently enabled for Lens Blur during Early Access.

For more information, please check out Lens Blur. 

Please give it a try and share feedback in this thread as we continually improve this feature.

Lisa Ngo: Lightroom Product Manager

Current Popular Lens Blur Feature Requests:

• Add Noise Option
• Custom Bokeh

Stop by and give them a vote if they're of interest to you!

Posted by: 

[Rick Spaulding -]

+1 to what Sean said. I made a quick video about using Lens Blur. Go to the 2:03 mark to see how the Refine brush is used. I think it will help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c865o_cgQ0

[Glenda29749134yola]

I would like to see a brush off tool as some of the pictures I have tried blurs some of the subject 

[Rick Spaulding -]

Look at the above post to see how you can brush away blur

[KrystalMcGarr]

I may be missing it, but the ability to brush off the blur on certain parts of the image would be helpful.  I have a large family group shot and it wasn't able to distinguish the top of two babies heads so they look like they are being morphed into another dimension.  

[Rick Spaulding -]

Look at the above post to see how you can brush away blur

[jussarap37394256]

Lens Blur is a great feauture just wish there was an eraser option. 

[StormLight777]

Great and useful for portrait or macro photography

[Chris342698041iky]

yes

[Michelle34273742bk5q]

I find I'm getting an edge around my subjects that the blur hasn't effected. 

[Norman25293387x2tq]

I notice it too like the arms

[active_coder15A8]

The refine function does not seems to work, trying to "paint" focus back but its just not working...

[Larry L Melton]

It is a wonderful tool, and it can only get better.  I learned that if too much bokeh effect is applied, the image looks strange, like it is superimposed on the background.  Use only enough to blur the background, and don’t get carried away.

[Rick Spaulding -]

Was the original image sharp? Lens Blur cannot sharpen a blurry image. It can only work with the range of focus that exists in the original. In other words, You can make a sharp image blurrry but you can't make a blurry image sharp. 😜

[coliny5045454]

Hi Sorry to tell you this lens blur is still an issue with Lrc 13.1 released 15.12.2023 freezing up the Pc on Windows 11 the moment you move a slider it doesn't like it. I will try it again but not hopefull.  However it seems to work ok (but slowly) in Ps....

[andrilla]

I think making the lens blur prioitize people, just like in masking, would be better than prioitizing depth or at least giving the option for it. 

[non descript]

I gave the lens blur feature a try. It worked very nicely. It determined background as effectively as recent sky selection tools. Although I don't need to replace the background, I appreciate being able to if I want to.

[Alex Schmutz]

Lensblur has to be linked with masking, i need to be able to brush out parts that the AI doesn't pick up properly. I find the sliders not that intuitive.. 

[defaultvlwvsfglbzs9]

I like the new blur backgroung ability. It would be nice to see in the filmstrip which photos had the blur applied to it but I will definately be using this.

[MindyVee]

It would be cool if we could also add a brush to this setting. Lightroom selected what part of the picture would get lens blur but it missed a piece of the picture so it does look a little weird. 

[JayKeyStk]

Seems like there shoud be some adjustments made to what the AI does with straight lines (like a rope) passing over the subjects face. There are other areas in this photo that is the same distanse from the camera as the subjects ear, but they do not get blurry. It appears the AI sees the rope and thinks anything on the other side should be blurry. 

 

 

[sherwood77]

Changing Blur from 75 to 60 or 50 has no effect.

.

[Keith25497026auvb]

I tried using this feature and it locks up my pc,  and says not responding.  Screen goes black and then comes in and out. My denoise and enhancement features do the same thing. Any help would be great. 

[bobco]

I've lost edited work for similar problems

[gee34317761epeu]

It's the best feature ever, this will make all those expensive lenses we can't afford to look stupid.

[bobco]

Oh yes...I said the same thing