This effect blurs either the dark or light areas. This is a great way to add focus to any low-contrast photos.

Photoshop Tutorial Preview

Step 1

Begin by opening any photo into Adobe Photoshop.

Step 2

Next, duplicate the layer by pressing Ctrl+J.

Step 3

Select the top layer if not already selected and then go to Filter> Blur> Motion Blur. Choose a blur setting that you like.

Step 4

Now we need to add a layer mask. To do this, go to Layer> Add Layer Mask> Reveal All. You should now have a white box thumbnail in the layers pallet.

Step 5

Click on the thumbnail of the white box in the layers pallet and then go to Image> Apply Image. In there, just leave the default settings and click OK.

Step 6

Now go to Image> Adjustments> Brightness/Contrast. If you are using Adobe Photoshop CS3, checkmark “use legacy”. If you are using older versions of Photoshop such as Photoshop CS2, there’s nothing you need to checkmark. Now increase the contrast to 75 and click OK.

Step 7

Here’s the final result. If you don’t like the area it blurred, click on the layer mask and press Ctrl+I to invert.