Blurring Tool For Mac

Blurring images with the help of Filmora Video Editor for Windows (or Filmora Video Editor for Mac) is always made easy and it enhances more the beauty of the picture. The easiest way to blur images with the help of this editor is by following few of the simple steps. To blur a video in the editor, first click the Filters tab and open the Blur category. You will see a collection of different blur filters. You will see a collection of different blur filters. To add your preferred blur efffect, simply drag its icon onto the video on the Timeline.

Active8 years ago

Note, there's already a question on this regard, but it's totally useless.

Blurring tool for photos

I need to blur, or put a small opaque mask to a moving object on a movie I took, I am using Mac OS X. Clearly, I don't want to shell out a lot of money for something so simple, so getting Adobe Premiere or similar software is a no go. I could however consider paying a small software (max 30 dollars) for this specific task.

Community
Stefano BoriniStefano Borini
1,1145 gold badges23 silver badges47 bronze badges

4 Answers

There is absolutely nothing simple about masking blurry objects in video unless you shot it in front of a chroma key backdrop. If it's not worth more than $30 then it's probably not going to happen unless you have a friend in film school who'll do it for free.

Face blurring toolHasaan ChopHasaan Chop
4,1761 gold badge14 silver badges13 bronze badges

Another option is to use a tool like ffmpeg to extract all the frames from the video (as a jpeg images). You could then use any image editing software to blur the frames individually. Then, could use ffmepg to reassemble all the frames back into a video. Yes, it's a very tedious way to do this, but it's free ;)

Brad MontgomeryBrad Montgomery

If the object doesn't move too much then you can use iMovie. Your other option might be to use the trial version of Premiere if this is a one off thing you need to do.

cOle2cOle2

Great video editing software for your Mac is Final Cut Pro. If you don't want to pay for that you could probably do that in iMovie.

AlexAlex

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged macosvideo-editingprocessingvisual-effects or ask your own question.

There’s nothing wrong with a little vanity. After all, sometimes a perfectly good portrait is marred by small yet annoying stuff like a zit, makeup smudge, or a stray hairs. Or maybe you captured an object in the frame you wish you hadn’t, or you scanned the image and introduced dust specks, or perhaps your camera’s sensor is a little dirty. Happily, the Retouch tool in Photos for OS X can come to your rescue (it’s not available in Photos for iOS). As you’re about to learn, Photos’ Retouch tool is more powerful than the one in iPhoto.

How to use the Retouch tool

The Retouch tool works by copying pixels from one area of your photo to another and then blending them (blurring, really) into the pixels you click or drag atop. To use it, select an image in Photos and then press Return to enter Edit mode, or press the Edit button in the upper-right of the toolbar. Use the Zoom slider at the upper-left to zoom into the image and, if necessary, drag while holding down the spacebar to reposition the image so you can see the thing you’re about to remove.

Activate the Retouch tool by clicking it or by pressing the R key on your keyboard. When you do, your cursor turns into a black circular outline rimmed with white, so you can always see the circle atop dark or light colors in your image. Adjust the brush cursor size so it’s slightly larger than the item you want to remove. Use the Size slider at right or your keyboard: tap [ (the left bracket key) to make the cursor smaller, or tap ] (the right bracket key) to make it bigger. Next, choose from one of the following two methods to send the offending item packin’.

Copy pixels from just outside the cursor’s edge

If you’ve got plenty of good, clean pixels around the thing you want to get rid of—say, flawless skin around a blemish or a cloudless sky around a sensor spot—then single click it. You briefly see a white overlay marking the area you clicked, and when you release your mouse button, Photos blends the copied pixels into the surrounding ones. If the item fits easily inside your cursor, a single click is all it takes to zap it.

If the item has plenty of free pixels around it, but it doesn’t fit within a round brush cursor—think stray hairs, power lines, a scar, and so on—click and drag with the tool instead. When you do, Photos shows your brushstroke as a white overlay. Release your mouse button, and Photos copies nearby pixels and blends them into the area you dragged over.

Video Blurring Software For Mac Free

Keep your eyes peeled for any smudging that occurs from the pixel blending Photos performs. If necessary, press Command-Z to undo the last brushstroke you made and have another go at it, perhaps with a smaller brush or by repositioning the item within the brush cursor or by clicking instead of dragging (or vice-versa). To undo all the changes you’ve made with the Retouch tool in the current editing session, click the Reset button at the lower-right.

Copy pixels from elsewhere in the photo

If you don’t have good pixels (or enough of them) around the item you want to remove, you can copy pixels from elsewhere in the image by setting a sample point (iPhoto can’t do this). This maneuver is handy for removing stuff that’s close to items you want to keep. To do it, Option-click the area you want to copy the pixels from—your cursor turns into a plus sign like the one circled below. Next, release the Option key, and then click or drag over the area that needs fixing.

As you work, the plus sign marks the area Photos is copying pixels from, and you see a white overlay marking your brushstrokes. Depending on the size of the area you’re fixing, you may need to set several sample points to make color and texture match better. In this example, I set a sample point above the dog bowl and made two rows of brush strokes before releasing the mouse button. Then I set another sample point was set beneath the bowl, and made two more rows of brush strokes. Finally, I set a third sample point in the light-colored area at the upper-left and made a few brushstrokes across the area where the bowl used to be to lighten it.

Be aware that after setting a sample point, Photos will use that point for subsequent fixes you make with the Retouch tool in that editing session. To return to using pixels outside your brush cursor, toggle the Retouch tool off and on by tapping the R key on your keyboard twice (once to turn it off and again to turn it back on). Alternatively, click the tool’s icon once to deactivate it and then click the icon again to reactivate.

Face Blurring Tool

No matter which of the above methods you use, it’s important not to go overboard with the Retouch tool—if you use it extensively in an area with detail, the area blurs as if someone smeared Vaseline on it (heck, the same is true when using the Spot or Healing Brush in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements). Nevertheless, Photos’ Retouch tool is remarkably powerful, especially when removing small stuff. Until next time, may the creative force be with you all!

Blurring Tool For Photos

Photo credits: Image of girl is Fololia/Mat Hayward, and image of dog is Fotolia/mexitographer.

Online Photo Blurring Tool

Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Read our affiliate link policy for more details.