Blur Image

What the blur tool does

This tool softens an image with an adjustable Gaussian blur. You can blur the whole picture for a clean, distraction-free backdrop, or blur only the background to make your subject stand out with a portrait-style depth of field. It runs in seconds and keeps your image at full resolution. For the background mode, the same subject detection that powers our background remover isolates the subject, then blurs everything behind it.

Whole image vs background blur

• Soft / Medium / Strong: blur the entire image - great for website hero backgrounds, text overlays and privacy.
• Background only: keep the subject sharp and blur the rest - the look of a wide-aperture portrait lens, without the camera.

When to use it

Reach for a full blur when you need a calm, low-detail background to lay text over, or to obscure something sensitive in a screenshot. Use background blur to lift a product or person off a busy scene. If you want the opposite - more clarity and detail - try the image enhancer, and our guide on enhancing images explains when each helps. To change a background entirely rather than blur it, Magic Edit can swap it from a prompt.

Tips for the best result

Start with a clear, well-lit photo so background detection has a clean edge to work with. For depth-of-field looks, a subject that stands clearly apart from its background works best. Pick the lightest blur that achieves your goal - Soft is usually enough for text backdrops, while Strong suits full obscuring.