Filter option and Blur Gallery

[Mazphotos]

Hello everyone. I'm today new to this forum and would like to ask for your help with an issue I'm experiencing in Photoshop 2023.
I am using the Blur Gallery options with the Filter tab. I notice, usually on clear backgrounds, that the blur tool leaves marks for example lines or shapes as such, so it's not a clean or clear blur. Has anyone else encountered issues like this please? It's something that I've started to notice quite recently, over the last few months.
Thank you

 

[thebestcpu]

Hello everyone. I'm today new to this forum and would like to ask for your help with an issue I'm experiencing in Photoshop 2023.
I am using the Blur Gallery options with the Filter tab. I notice, usually on clear backgrounds, that the blur tool leaves marks for example lines or shapes as such, so it's not a clean or clear blur. Has anyone else encountered issues like this please? It's something that I've started to notice quite recently, over the last few months.
Thank you

Hi @Mazphotos
It would really help if you attached a screenshot or better yet an example resulting file or psd file for examination.
Plus the filter gallery has many filters and options so specifics about which one is causing the problem would help forum members help you.
When you say clear background, do you mean a transparent background or a solid color background.
Forum members have quite a bit of experience so I bet they can help you figure out what is going on.
Just need more info to help get to root cause
Just my recommendations of course
JohnWheeler

 

[Mazphotos]

Hi @Mazphotos
It would really help if you attached a screenshot or better yet an example resulting file or psd file for examination.
Plus the filter gallery has many filters and options so specifics about which one is causing the problem would help forum members help you.
When you say clear background, do you mean a transparent background or a solid color background.
Forum members have quite a bit of experience so I bet they can help you figure out what is going on.
Just need more info to help get to root cause
Just my recommendations of course
JohnWheeler

Hi John, thanks for your suggestions. I realise how much detail I left out now. I'll expand on the issue and attach an example later today. Thanks you for the response, appreciated.

 

[Mazphotos]

Hi everyone, I realise that I hadn't give enough detail in my original message and so I'm going to try and explain what's happening and attach a few images.
Generally, I take images in RAW CR3, (using a canon R6). Import the files and view them in Adobe Bridge and then sometimes run them through a denoise package before making my edits. I then open them into the Camera RAW facility to make any changes to exposure etc. then open the file into Photoshop to make any further changes, save to JPEG. I sometimes use the Blur option for the background on my photos and I do this by using the Filter Tab, scrolling down to the Blur Gallery option and using the first option in there - Field Blur. Just to clarify when I say clear background I mean solid colour. It does give me solid colour but seems to leave me also with wavy patterns. I have checked whether the denoise package is causing these issues by not using it and that doesn't seem to be the cause. I've not run this image through denoise.
It's difficult to explain and so I've attached three screenshots, one of the original image, one after my edits and the third is zoomed in showing the wavy lines that I mentioned. I couldn't send a psd.file or JPEG as I couldn't get them to a file size that was accepted. Interestingly, I saved my file to JPEG at the lowest quality to try and attach to this comment and the wavy shapes were more prominent and I notice this often too when I post anything online. I sometimes change image size on the files for different reasons and find these wavy lines more noticeable when I change the original dimensions of the file.
Thanks in advance for your help. Maria

 

[Mazphotos]

I hadn't realised the images would show as big as they have, if I can correct this at all, let me know. Thanks all

 

[IamSam]

I hadn't realised the images would show as big as they have, if I can correct this at all, let me know.

The images are fine! No problems!

 

[thebestcpu]

Hi @Mazphotos

If I brighten the shadows I certainly can see the banding yet I cannot with your starting image recreate the banding with the Field Blur filter.
There could be a number of reasons for this i.e.
- There are many settings and ways to use Field Blur and you may be using settings that I am not duplicating
- There is the possibility that there are false banding issues (not likely yet it happens) when viewing the images at non-100% magnification
- Also, JPEGs have lossy compression where which produce artifacts particularly in the shadow areas yet I don't think that is your root cause either (higher compression produces more artifacts)
- Screen shots my hide or exacerbate issues as well when shots are not taken at 100% magnification
- One factor that may come in to play is that when the image is in 8 bit mode, it is much more prone to banding instead of 16 bit mode.

I think to get to root cause the quickest and sort out the issues, I suggest using a file sharing approach (e.g Dropbox or otherwise) and provide a link to your PSD file. That way the original size image can be examined with all the Layers and the specific settings used with the Field Blur. Without that, I believe I would just be trying to guess what is going on.

Of course there may be other forum members that may have seen your specific issue with Field Blur and jump in with an answer as well.
Just some quick thoughts.
John Wheeler

 

[Mazphotos]

Hi @Mazphotos

If I brighten the shadows I certainly can see the banding yet I cannot with your starting image recreate the banding with the Field Blur filter.
There could be a number of reasons for this i.e.
- There are many settings and ways to use Field Blur and you may be using settings that I am not duplicating
- There is the possibility that there are false banding issues (not likely yet it happens) when viewing the images at non-100% magnification
- Also, JPEGs have lossy compression where which produce artifacts particularly in the shadow areas yet I don't think that is your root cause either (higher compression produces more artifacts)
- Screen shots my hide or exacerbate issues as well when shots are not taken at 100% magnification
- One factor that may come in to play is that when the image is in 8 bit mode, it is much more prone to banding instead of 16 bit mode.

I think to get to root cause the quickest and sort out the issues, I suggest using a file sharing approach (e.g Dropbox or otherwise) and provide a link to your PSD file. That way the original size image can be examined with all the Layers and the specific settings used with the Field Blur. Without that, I believe I would just be trying to guess what is going on.

Of course there may be other forum members that may have seen your specific issue with Field Blur and jump in with an answer as well.
Just some quick thoughts.
John Wheeler

Thanks so much John, I really appreciate your time and the thoughts above. I hadn't appreciated this was called banding - I can't see the banding on my images either when I first open them as raw files. It definitely happens afterwards. Let me get myself sorted with dropbox or something like that and come back to you. Much appreciated. Maria