The Smart Blur effect blurs an image while preserving lines and edges within the image. For example, you can use the Smart Blur effect to smoothly blur shaded areas while retaining crisp outlines of text and vector graphics.

Original (left), and with effect applied (right)

This effect works with 8-bpc and 16-bpc color.

Radius

How far the filter searches for dissimilar pixels to blur.

Threshold

How different the pixels’ values should be before they are eliminated.

Mode

What parts of the image receive the blur. Normal specifies that the blur be applied to the entire selection, whereas Edge Only and Overlay Edge specify that the blur be applied only to the edges of color transitions. Where significant contrast occurs, Edge Only applies black-and-white edges, and Overlay Edge applies white.