How do you blur radial in Lightroom?

To blur a specific area radially in Lightroom, you use the Radial Filter tool and decrease the Sharpness setting within that filter. This allows you to create a localized blurring effect in an elliptical or circular shape on your photo.

Using the Radial Filter is a popular way to draw attention to the center of an image or soften edges by applying adjustments selectively. Blurring is one such adjustment you can make within this tool.

Here's how you can blur radially based on the standard process for using local adjustment tools in Lightroom:

Steps to Blur Radially in Lightroom

Applying a radial blur involves selecting your photo, entering the editing module, choosing the correct tool, and then applying the blur adjustment by reducing sharpness.

Here are the steps:

1. Select Your Photo: Start by choosing the photograph you wish to edit in Lightroom's Library module.
2. Go to the Develop Module: Switch to the Develop module. This is where you access all of Lightroom's editing tools, including the local adjustment filters.
3. Choose the Radial Filter: From the toolbar located below the histogram or by pressing the Shift + M keyboard shortcut, select the Radial Filter tool. (Note: The reference also mentions the Adjustment Brush and Graduated Filter, but for a radial blur, you specifically need the Radial Filter).
4. Adjust the Sharpness Slider: Before or after drawing your radial area, locate the adjustment sliders for the Radial Filter. Find the Sharpness slider and drop its value significantly. Moving the slider to the left will reduce sharpness, effectively creating a blur within the selected area. You can also adjust other sliders like Clarity or Texture if you want to enhance the blurring effect.
5. Draw the Radial Area: Click and drag on your photo to draw the elliptical shape where you want the blur to be applied.
   • Hold Shift while dragging to constrain the shape to a perfect circle.
   • You can resize and reposition the ellipse after drawing it.
   • The feathering control (a dashed line within the ellipse) determines how soft the transition is between the adjusted area and the rest of the photo.
   • By default, the adjustment is applied inside the ellipse. To apply the blur outside the ellipse (e.g., to blur the background around a subject), check the "Invert" option in the Radial Filter panel.

Summary Table: Key Actions

Step	Action	Tool/Setting
1. Preparation	Select photo	Library Module
2. Edit Module	Go to Develop Module	Develop Module
3. Tool Selection	Choose Radial Filter	Radial Filter (Shift + M)
4. Adjustment	Drop the Sharpness slider to blur	Sharpness Slider
5. Application	Click and drag to draw the radial area	Photo Preview Area

Understanding the Radial Filter for Blurring

The Radial Filter creates an adjustable elliptical or circular mask on your image. Any adjustments you make using the sliders for this filter (like Sharpness, Exposure, Contrast, etc.) are applied only within this mask, or outside of it if you choose to invert it.

By reducing the Sharpness setting within the Radial Filter, you specifically target that elliptical area for blurring. This technique is widely used in portrait photography to soften backgrounds (using the Invert option) or in landscape photography to subtly blur edges and focus attention on the center.

Experiment with the Sharpness slider's value and the feathering amount of the radial mask to achieve the desired level and transition of blur for your image.