Photoshop Quick Tip: Creating Depth of Field Using the Lens Blur Filter
![](https://photoshopwizards.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/image-55-1024x640.png)
First up, lets grab a good photo to experiment on. I found this awesome traffic shot by SmokingPermitted on Flickr.I like this photo because it has a very long focus. Basically items in the foreground and background are in focus.
![lensblur-img-1](https://s3.medialoot.com/blog-images/wegraphics/lensblur-img-1.jpg)
Once the photo is open in Photoshop, switch over to Quick Mask Mode (Q) and use a large soft black brush to draw a line across the first row of cars.
![lensblur-img-2](https://s3.medialoot.com/blog-images/wegraphics/lensblur-img-2.jpg)
Now exit Quick Mask Mode, and should should have a selection like the one below.
![lensblur-img-3](https://s3.medialoot.com/blog-images/wegraphics/lensblur-img-3.jpg)
Now, over on the Channels Panel, click the new Create New Channel icon and fill the selection with white.
![lensblur-img-4](https://s3.medialoot.com/blog-images/wegraphics/lensblur-img-4.jpg)
Now you can release the selection (Cmd+D) and switch back over to your layers. Lets open the Lens Blur Filter from (Filter | Blur | Lens Blur). In the Lens Blur window choose “Alpha 1” (which is the new alpha channel you created) as the Depth Map.
![lensblur-img-5](https://s3.medialoot.com/blog-images/wegraphics/lensblur-img-5.jpg)
Select Okay and your image should be blurred similar to the one below. I love this effect because it creates a tilt/shift style blur giving the scene a micro look.
![lensblur-img-6](https://s3.medialoot.com/blog-images/wegraphics/lensblur-img-6.jpg)
To bump the contrast further the tilt/shift effect, lets duplicate the layer, and set the duplicate layer’s blending mode to Overlay.
![lensblur-img-7](https://s3.medialoot.com/blog-images/wegraphics/lensblur-img-7.jpg)
I love it!