When you edit a layer in Photoroom, you can apply a blur effect. This changes the layer's appearance by softening it, streaking it, or dividing it into blocks, depending on which type of blur effect you choose.

In this article, we provide a summary of the different blur effects. For instructions on how to apply the blur effects, see the articles in the Related content section at the end.

Note: Blur effects are only available for foreground layers and custom image background layers. You cannot blur the original background of an image or an AI-generated background.

Blurs using a hexagonal shape, mimicking a camera's aperture blades. Bright highlights come out as soft hexagons instead of circles.

A general-purpose blur.

Photoroom smooths each pixel, averaging each pixel against the colors of the neighboring pixels. Nearby pixels are weighted more than distant pixels, so the effect tapers off with distance. This gives an even, natural softness.

Blurs in one direction, creating a sense of speed or movement. Motion is especially useful for lifestyle and action shots, such as sports gear and vehicles.

Divides the layer into a hexagonal mosaic. This is a block-based effect rather than a blur and is often used to censor an image or to intentionally create a mosaic look.

Divides the layer into a mosaic of square blocks for an 8-bit video game look.

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Photoroom smooths each pixel, averaging each pixel against the colors of the neighboring pixels. All pixels are given the same weighting. This gives a similar softening effect to Gaussian, but appears flatter.

Blurs using a circular shape, in the same way as a real out-of-focus camera lens. Points of light are spread into soft round discs, creating a photographic defocus. This is often used to show secondary layers and other object layers out of focus.