Quick Guide: How to Use Blur and Grain Effects in PhotoDirector
Seven steps to blur around your subject and add film grain.
Updated Oct. 16, 2026 · 1 min read
Steps
1Pick a blur mode
Pick one of the five icons at the top: Background blur, Circular, Linear, Brush, or Salient object based blur. Only one mode applies at a time.
2Place the focus and set the Degree
In Circular or Linear, drag the red center point to move the sharp area and the outer guide to set the fade, then raise Degree.
3Choose the blur type
In any mode except Background blur, choose a Blur type: Soft Focus, Bokeh, or Motion Blur. With Bokeh, pick a Blur shape too.
4Open Grain
Click Effects in the icon rail and choose Grain under Photo Effects.
5Set the amount
Drag Amount to set how strong the grain is.
6Keep the grain off the person
Click Auto under Select a brush to clear the grain from the person and keep it on the background.
7Export the photo
When the blur and grain look right, click Export to save the photo.
We tested these steps in PhotoDirector 365 version 18.0.8 on Windows.
