How to Soften with the Blur Tool in Photoshop CS6

Using the blur tool here and there to smooth an image with Photoshop CS6 can save an image with some flaws. Blur can also be used for artistic effect – for example, to add a little movement to a soccer ball frozen in time at a very high shutter speed. You can also darken parts of your image to emphasize and focus on a specific element.
The Blur tool doesn’t push pixels the way the Smudge tool does. Instead, the Blur tool reduces the contrast between adjacent pixels in the painted area.
The mechanics of using the Blur tool and many of its options are similar to those of the Smudge tool. Just follow these steps:
2. Open an image and select the Blur tool from the Tools panel.
1. In the options bar, select these settings:
Select a brush from the Brush Preset Picker or the larger Brush panel.
Use a small brush to apply small areas of blur. Use larger brushes and be careful, for example, to blur the entire background to make the foreground object look more noticeable by comparison.
>> Select a blending mode from the Mode popup menu.
>> Select the strength of the blur effect using the strength slider or the text box.

> If your image has multiple layers and you want the opacity based on pixel information on all visible layers in your image, select the Use all layers option.

Selecting this option can result in a softer blur when you merge layers later.
>> If you are using a pressure sensitive tablet, tap the last icon. Doing so overrides any settings you made in the Brush panel or the Brush Preset picker.
3. Paint over the areas you want to blur.
4. When done, choose File → Save to store your image.