How to Create a Soft Focus Effect in Affinity Photo

Posted on 16th June 2023

Overview

In this tutorial, we’ll learn how to create a soft focus effect in Affinity Photo. We’ll use the Radial Blur filter to create the effect, and then we’ll finish it off with a bit of adjustment layer magic. Let’s get started!

Step 1: Create a New Document

Let’s begin by creating a new document. Go to File > New to open up the New Document dialog box. Enter the following settings:

• Name: Soft Focus
• Width: 1200px
• Height: 1200px
• Resolution: 300ppi
• Color Mode: RGB
• Background: White

Step 2: Place Your Image

Next, we need to place our image into the document. Go to File > Place, navigate to your image, and click Place. Affinity Photo will automatically create a new layer for the image.

Step 3: Apply the Radial Blur Filter

With the image layer selected, go to Filter > Blur > Radial Blur. Enter the following settings:

• Blur Method: Zoom
• Amount: 50
• Quality: Good

Step 4: Add a Brightness/Contrast Adjustment Layer

Next, we’re going to add a Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast. Enter the following settings:

• Brightness: +30
• Contrast: +30

Step 5: Add a Vibrance Adjustment Layer

Next, we’re going to add a Vibrance adjustment layer. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Vibrance. Enter the following settings:

• Vibrance: +20

Step 6: Add a Layer Mask

Next, we’re going to add a layer mask to the Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer. A layer mask allows us to hide parts of the layer. In this case, we’re going to use the layer mask to hide the effect of the adjustment layer from the center of the image, which will help keep the effect subtle.

To add a layer mask, click on the Add Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. Then, use a black brush to paint over the center of the image. The effect of the adjustment layer will be hidden where you paint.

Step 7: Add a Gaussian Blur Filter

Next, we’re going to add a Gaussian Blur filter to the layer mask. This will help to blend the effect of the adjustment layer and make it more subtle. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Enter the following settings:

• Radius: 10px

Step 8: Add a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer

Finally, we’re going to add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. This will help to add a bit of color to the image and really make the effect pop. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation. Enter the following settings:

• Hue: +10
• Saturation: +20

Step 9: Add a Layer Mask

Just like we did in Step 6, we’re going to add a layer mask to the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. This time, we’re going to use the layer mask to hide the effect of the adjustment layer from the edges of the image. This will help keep the effect subtle and focused on the center of the image.

To add a layer mask, click on the Add Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. Then, use a black brush to paint over the edges of the image. The effect of the adjustment layer will be hidden where you paint.

Step 10: Add a Gaussian Blur Filter

Next, we’re going to add a Gaussian Blur filter to the layer mask. This will help to blend the effect of the adjustment layer and make it more subtle. Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Enter the following settings:

• Radius: 10px

Step 11: Add a Vignette

To finish off the effect, we’re going to add a vignette. This will help to draw the viewer’s attention to the center of the image. Go to Filter > Distort > Lens Distortion. Enter the following settings:

• Amount: -50
• Midpoint: 50

Step 12: Save Your Image

That’s it! You’re all done. To save your image, go to File > Export. Choose the file format you want to use, enter a name for the file, and click Export.

Achieving a soft focus effect in Affinity Photo is relatively simple and only requires a few steps.

First, open your image in Affinity Photo and duplicate the layer. Then, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and apply a blur of your choice. The amount of blur will depend on the effect you’re going for and the resolution of your image.

Next, change the blend mode of the duplicated layer to “Screen”. This will make the blurred layer more transparent, allowing the original image to show through.

Finally, add a layer mask to the duplicated layer and use a soft brush to paint over the areas you want to remain in focus. The areas you paint over will become more visible, while the rest of the image will remain softly blurred.

And that’s it! You’ve successfully created a soft focus effect in Affinity Photo.

There are a few ways to create a soft focus effect in Affinity Photo. One way is to use the blur tool. To do this, select the blur tool from the toolbar and then click and drag over the area you want to blur. Another way is to use the Gaussian blur filter. To do this, go to the filter menu and select ‘Gaussian blur’. This will open a new window where you can adjust the amount of blur.

Now that you know how to create a soft focus effect in Affinity Photo, experiment with different ways to use it. Try different brush sizes and shapes, different layer modes, and different blend modes. You can even combine multiple soft focus layers to create an even more dreamy effect.

When you’re happy with your results, save your image as a JPEG or PNG file and share it with your friends.