**Program Tutorials** : Paint Shop Pro : *Technique

1. Open your image and create a copy of your original (Shift+D). Close the original image.
   
2. Create a duplicate layer of the image by clicking on Layers > Duplicate. You should now have two layers (“Background” and “Copy of Background.”)
   
3. Rename the Background layer “Blur” and the Copy of Background layer “Clear.” (To rename a layer, double-click on the layer and type in the new name; background layers must first be promoted by right-clicking on the background layer and clicking Promote Background Layer.)
   
4. Activate the layer named Blur by clicking once in the layer palette. The Blur layer should now be highlighted (as in example above.) Apply two Blur More filters to this layer (Adjust > Blur More > Adjust > Blur More). To view the result of the blur filter, click on the Visibility Toggle of the Clear layer on the layers palette.
   
5. The bottom layer of your photo should now be blurred.
   
6. Click the Visibility Toggle again so that your Clear layer reappears. Click once on the Clear layer to activate that layer.
   

   

7. Apply a new mask layer by clicking on Layers > New Mask Layer > Show All. Your layers palette should now look like this:
   
8. Activate your Paintbrush and select black as your foreground color and white as your background color.
   
9. Begin painting or masking out the areas of your photo that you want to appear further back or blurry. If you make a mistake and mask out an area that you do not want blurry, you can switch your foreground color from black to white. Use a small diameter paintbrush as well as a smaller value for the brush hardness. Specific values will depend on your photo. Zoom in on your photo if necessary.
   
10. Continue masking out the areas of your photo that you want blurred until you are left with a clear foreground.
    
11. Merge all layers by clicking on Layers > Merge > Merge All (Flatten). You might notice some sharp edges around your foreground objects. If this is the case, you can smooth out the edges using the Soften Brush for a more realistic effect.
    

Here are the original and final photos for comparison: