How to Make a Blurry Picture Clear
April 26
12 min. to read
Isn’t it a pity when a great shot gets ruined because it’s too blurry? You can’t go back in time and retake the photo, so there’s no way to bring back that perfect moment. Sometimes it’s a special occasion, like a wedding or a trip, and that makes the blurry photo especially disappointing. In this article, you’ll find out how to make a blurry picture clear with some easy tips and tricks. It’s never been easier than with our new Luminar photo editing software.
Why is your photo blurry?
To make a photo clear, you first have to find out the reasons behind the blur.
1. Camera moved
One of the most common causes of blurry photos is camera movement. Professional photographers use tripods to hold the camera in place, but that isn’t always convenient. Keep your camera steady and try to be aware of any shaking of your hands. You can stabilize the camera by putting it on a hard surface. Another trick is to lean against a wall. It’s especially important to keep the camera steady when using a slow shutter speed, a long lens such as a telephoto or zoom, or any kind of other tool that prolongs the exposure.
2. Subject moved
If you’re taking a picture of a moving subject in dim light and with a slow shutter speed, blur is inevitable. It’s especially tricky to capture great pictures of animals or small children, who tend to move a lot.
3. Slow shutter speed for moving subjects
Whenever you need to take a picture of something moving at high speed, make sure to use a fast shutter speed, as it will allow you to capture the moment clearly. If you have a blurry photo of an athlete or a race car, you can always use our software to rescue it. Just click the button below to get Luminar.
4. Out of focus
Experimenting with focus might be the key to learning how to make your photos clearer. Your photos might be blurry because of a problem with the focus of your camera. Check to see if the automatic focus fell on the wrong object or if the camera failed to focus altogether. Taking pictures of objects in front of landscapes is difficult for exactly this reason.
5. Shallow depth of field
If you want to achieve a pleasant bokeh effect, you can open the lens aperture to a low f-stop. This helps you separate a sharp subject from a soft background. However, this also means a shallow depth of field. That’s why shooting at f/11 will make your scene much sharper than shooting at f/2.
6. Problems with lenses
Sometimes, the reason behind blurry photos is just a dirty lens. Buy a special kit to keep your lens clean. Sometimes it just takes a clean lens to make a clear photo.
Never blurry again
Learn to prevent the blur effect with these tips.
1. Use a tripod
The best way to achieve clarity is by investing in a tripod. Even though a tripod isn’t always handy, there are a variety of tripods to choose from, including lightweight and budget-friendly options. A tripod stabilizes your camera and is indispensable when taking professional landscape and portrait shots.
2. Use a wide-angle lens
Instead of using a long lens, which tends to be heavier and more prone to shaking, use a wide-angle lens that will help you focus on your subject with more precision and avoid taking a blurry picture.
3. Use a larger aperture setting
As a rule, the higher the f-stop number, the greater the depth of field. And this means the scene will be much sharper. So instead of using f/2 or f/6, try using f/11 for clearer photos.
4. Focus correctly
Photographers should learn the differences between focus modes. Knowing which type suits which scenes, from landscapes to portraits, will save you a lot of time during editing.
5. Turn on image stabilization
Some cameras have an image stabilization option. This feature is extremely useful when the camera is handheld. Turn it on to prevent image blur.
6. Hold your camera properly
It might seem odd, but some photographers hold their cameras incorrectly. Check your manual and see if you’re holding your camera correctly. Also, remember to press the button gently, as pressing it too heavily may also shake the camera, resulting in a ruined image.
Advantages of blurry pictures
Sometimes, photographers want a photo to be blurry for a reason. Learn how to blur a picture in our editing software. When is it better to keep the blur? You might want to consider these cases before trying to fix blurry pictures.
1. Close-up portraits
A little blur in a portrait can help get rid of skin imperfections, pores, or blemishes. Consider blurring these problem areas in your photo editing software with blur filters and tools. This will create a pleasant effect.
2. Artistic photos
Blur might add a dream-like romantic effect to your photos. You can use macro lenses that help add a selective layer of blur to your photos.
3. Tilt-shift photos
If you want to achieve a miniature effect, try the tilt-shift technique. You’ll see how the foreground and background blur, rendering the subject of the picture quite small, even if in reality it’s a big object like a boat or a building. This is achieved thanks to the clever use of blur.
4. Let the subject stand out
One of the advantages of a blurry background is that it lets the subject stand out. If you want to pull the attention to your main subject, whether it’s a person or an object, blurring the background might be the key.
5. Motion effect
The blur behind a racing car, a horse, or an athlete can help to create the effect of motion.
6. Vignettes
A vignette lets you focus on the center of your picture. When the edges are darkened and blurred, you can’t help but look at the center. Vignettes can easily be achieved with Luminar.
How to make a picture clearer
The Luminar photo editing software, a new product from Skylum, can help you fix blurry pictures. Learn how to make a picture clearer automatically and manually.
Method One: Automatically
- Open your photo in Luminar.
- Open Click the Preset Panel icon in the upper-right window to make sure your Presets are visible.
- Open Find the Sharp & Crisp preset and select it. This will make Luminar automatically apply sharpening.
- Open The image is ready. If you like the result, save it.
Method Two: Manually
If you want to find out how to make blurry pictures clear like a professional and fine-tune your photos, there are two sections in Luminar at your disposal.
In the Sharpening section, there are three sliders that you can use.
Amount slider
The Amount slider tunes the amount of definition. Over-sharpening will cause a harsh look with outlines around the edges of objects. Slide Amount to reach the desired effect.
Radius slider
The Radius slider is used to select the number of pixels that you want to sharpen around the edges. Use a smaller radius for a detailed photo, like a landscape, and a larger radius for portraits.
Masking slider
Use the Masking slider to constrain the sharpening only to selected parts of your photo. Control the amount of sharpening you need on the edges and leave smooth areas untouched. This is a great tool for achieving a well-defined subject in front and a soft background.
Furthermore, In the Detail Enhancer section you’ll find sliders to control small, medium, and large details. You can experiment with these sliders to see the amount of detail that you want to show.
We wish you the best of luck in taking clear and sharp pictures or editing out the blur with our easy-to-use software. Rescue your landscape and portrait photos and make them shine. If you’re still hesitant whether to buy the full version of Luminar, you can always try the free trial version.
All the best from the Skylum Team. Happy shooting!
