This Photoshop tutorial is designed to instruct on creating the blurring effect in photographs that is caused by the shallow depth-of-field inherent in a telephoto lens. This effect is know as 'Creamy Bokeh,' which is a combination of focal-length aberrations, and artifacts that are created when a subject is not in focus.
Digital Photo Retouching with Photoshop
Generally, the longer a telephoto lens, and the wider the aperture setting (shot 'wide open'), the greater the 'Bokeh' effect. Simple blurring alone cannot create a realistic creamy bokeh effect, due to the lack of noise, and lens aberrations or artifacts.
A combination of blurring, selective filter application, and the introduction of noise on several different layers can simulate this depth-of-field bokeh effect.
