Take Photo: Creative Blur

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Friday, November 13, 2015

Instagram Challenge Showcase - Creative Blur

News must be getting out about the challenges I've been having on Instagram. The first was Face Collage and the most recent was Creative Blur. Blur adds a bit of movement a bit of mystery to an image and I'm happy to present some of the creative interpretations of the theme. The Instagram usernames are listed below each photo.

Brent Mosely, aka Sleekmaus, really tied in the zoom blur with the victorious stance of the figure in his creation below. The warm colors also add to the excitement of his piece.

Achieved @Sleekmaus

@the_creative_i

@anneyungwirth

Kings Cross at Night @theoriginalmiss

@kachouro

@klimtt

Chelsea Sunday @phot0bug

These are the days of the endless summer @cecilyc

Time is Running Out @jjeannie3

Elaine, aka @sunflowerof21, used a very subtle blur but it adds a great mood to her photograph below and directs the viewer's eye to the boy's face.

Charlie @sunflowerof21

Face Pot @gr8plunder

@theflyingcannibal

@justjody59

Since the day of my birth, my death began its walk. It is walking toward me,
without hurrying. Jean Cocteau
@xenophaedja

Mountain Murmuring @anikatoro

Reflect in @sanikdote

Stardust @heriamjm

Happy times and bygone days never lost...in truth, they grow more wonderful
within the heart that keeps them warm. Kay Andrew
@trishg61

The Truth Whispered...My Mind's Gone Dim @imagomimago

@cooksbay

Steve, @cooksbay, often includes a story to go along with his image (above).

Alex fell in love with her on first sight .... but it did occur to him that she might be dressed more appropriately for a White House Ball than as a sunglasses salesperson at Atlanta Airport!

Road to Nowhere @themobilemind

Tracy Mitchell Griggs @themobilemind uses creative blur effectively on her Road to Nowhere. You get the feeling that you're going nowhere fast!

@beezzz_

The Blue Gate Part 1 @strongcomet

Into the dream @mabadca

Grumpy eyecatcher @marietteschrijver

@missappropriate

@nmbo1973

@nmbo1973 had a story to go along with her image above:
Finally after waiting an hour Isabella decided to make a run to her car hoping the paparazzi would leave her alone! She had no choice he wouldn't get out of her way as the flash nearly blinded her. She gave him a strong right hook to his face and his camera shattered into pieces.. Finally she was a free women and boy did it feel good!

For the next challenge, rather than a technique let's try an interpretation of a word - the first word is Solitary. Tag your mobile images with this theme #aom_solitary. Old and new images may be used. No limit to number of entries. This is just for fun - showcase will post on September 20th.

Creative Blur Challenge

Announcing the 2nd Art of Mob Instagram challenge - just for fun! Creative Blur Challenge. Use #aom_creativeblur hashtag on Instagram to enter. Edit your mobile photos using creative blur.

This time, let's see what you can do with Creative Blur. Suggested apps: iColorama (you'll find Blur under "Effects", Effexy has some interesting blur effects in the "Effex" folder and FocalLab offers several customizable blur effects. You don't have to use these apps, these are just some suggestions.

On Sunday, September 14th I'll showcase some of the submissions here at Art of Mob. Use the hashtag #aom_creativeblur to enter.

Photo App Friday - Creative Blur and an Effexy App Giveaway!

It's Photo App Friday and I'm here to share a way to use Snapseed and Effexy to get a creative blur effect. Also, don't forget to Tweet one of your favorite photo apps and hashtag it #photoappfriday. I'm looking forward to finding some I don't already know about.

If you have a USA iTunes account, keep reading to find out how you can win a promo code for Effexy (used in this tutorial).

I really love this image just as it is, but with the method below I can get a little different result.

Step 1 - Open the image in Effexy and click on the + sign at the top. Open the Effex folder and select Zoom Lite. Pinch the image to create a custom zoom. For my image I had the Blurring and Intensity sliders set to maximum. Click the arrow in the upper right hand corner and Save Image.

Step 2 - Open the image in Snapseed and select Tilt Shift. For Style choose Elliptical. Center on your area of focus. Slide your finger up to reveal the Tilt Shift adjustment menu and adjust Blur Strength, Brightness, Saturation and Contrast. Save.

Step 3 - Open the Snapseed version in Sketch Club. To do this press the arrow in upper right hand corner and choose New. Select the size of the "Sketch". In the upper left hand corner select the Layers icon and select Load Image. Choose your saved Snapseed version. On the layer BELOW the Snapseed version, load your original image. On the top center, you will find the tool menu - select Eraser and choose a soft-edged brush for your eraser. Erase the center of the image to reveal the in focus image below. Save.

Step 4 - (Optional) Open the image in Snapseed again and apply Center Focus and adjust to suit your image. I added a bit more blur and vignette around the borders.

Below is another unedited image:

Step 1 - Add Zoom Lite in Effexy

Step 2 - Add Elliptical Tilt Shift in Snapseed

Step 3 - Layer Snapseed version over original in Sketch Club and erase the center of the image to reveal original.

Step 4 (Optional) - This time I wanted to add a bit of a grunge effect, so I opened the image in Snapseed and selected Grunge from the menu. I chose a Style number that was around 1430. Slide your finger up and down over the screen of your device to reveal the Grunge adjustment menu and customize Brightness, Contrast, Texture Strength and Saturation. For this image I then applied Center Focus one more time. Save.

Apps Mentioned:

Snapseed
Effexy
Sketch Club

If you have a USA iTunes account and would like to win one of ten promo codes for a copy of Effexy, just leave a comment below - Random winners will be drawn on April 5th at 9 AM PDT.

UPDATE - Congrats to the winners:

ShawnY

Davinia

AlanH

A7medsh3baan

Anya

J.Cyr

Chris Monty

Edin

Meri Walker

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