How to Do a Blur Effect on GIMP

Use GIMP to digitally blur an image.

If you want to digitally create a blur effect, open the free graphic editing program GIMP to do so. GIMP has a Gaussian Blur filter which you can customize to meet the needs of your project. Once you select the effect, a settings dialog will load letting you adjust the horizontal and vertical components of the "Blur Radius," which controls the degree to which the pixels of your file will be merged or smoothed-out. A higher blur radius will make for a blurrier final product.

Instructions

1. Launch GIMP and open the image you want to blur by clicking File and Open.

2. Select the Filters tab and click on Blur and then Gaussian Blur. A Script-Fu dialog will appear.

3. Increase the blur radius for the horizontal and vertical aspects by clicking the up arrow next to each setting. Check the Preview box to view what the final blur will look like, and click "OK" when satisfied.

4. Save your blurred image by clicking File and Save As.

Tips & Warnings

• Save your file using a standard picture extension such as ".jpg" or ".png." Alternatively, save your file as a GIMP workbook by using GIMP's native extension ".xcf."

References

• GIMP: Blur Filters
• GIMP: Gaussian Blur
• GIMP: Save As

Resources

• GIMP