B
bB
BLOAT TOOL, LIQUIFY FILTER Before
Before
After
After
Bloat tool, Liquify filter
Blur filters
Menu: Filter > Liquify Shortcut: B (whilst in Liquify filter) See also: Liquify filter Version: 7.0, CS, CS2, CS3
Menu: Filter > Blur Shortcut: – Version: CS2, CS3
The Bloat tool is one of several tools in the Liquify filter that allows you to stretch, twist, push and pull your pictures. It spreads the pixels apart in the center of a circle equal to the size of the current brush tip. The result is like the picture part has been blown up or ‘bloated’. To bloat your pictures, select the tool, then adjust the brush size so that it is the same dimensions as the area to be changed. Then hold down the mouse button until the picture has changed the required amount. You can drag the mouse across the canvas bloating the pixels as you go. To reverse the tool’s effect either select the Revert button (top right) or paint over the surface with the Reconstruct tool.
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See also: Filters, Box Blur filter, Surface Blur filter, Shape Blur filter
Photoshop CS3 contains a extensive array of blur filters including the Box, Shape and Surface Blur options. It might seem strange for image makers to actually want to destroy the sharpness of their photos but many interesting enhancement effects make use of these filter options. Box Blur – Fast blur option that is great for large pictures and special effects work. Surface Blur – The Surface Blur filter is an edge preserving filter that produces results faster than Smart Blur. Shape Blur – A blur filter that creates its effect based on a user selected shape. The amount of blur is determined by the size of the shape, which is adjusted via the slider control. Box, Shape and Surface Blur options all work in 16 bits and 32 bits per channel (HDR) modes.
Average – Averages all the color in the picture and then fills the canvas with this color. Blur and Blur More – Smooths transitions and softens details. Blur More is stronger. Gaussian Blur – Slider-controlled blurring based on the Gaussian distribution of pixel changes. Motion Blur – Blurs the image in a specific direction. Great for speed enhancing effects. Radial Blur – Creates either spinning or zooming blur effects. Smart Blur – Provides more control over the type and placement of blur using Radius, Threshold, Quality and Mode adjustments. Lens Blur – This filter is used to simulate realistic depth of field blur effects that traditionally are created via camera and lens techniques. The Lens Blur also works in the 16 bits per channel mode. Before applying a blur filter to a layer with transparency, make sure that the Lock Transparency option is turned off.
Photoshop CS3 A–Z