Iris Blur is the second of the five blur filters in the Blur Gallery available in Photoshop CC and later, but it was first introduced as one of three filters in Photoshop CS6. It enables you to achieve what the Field Blur does (add depth of field to flat images), but with more control.
This tutorial will show you how to use the Iris Blur filter to achieve an out-of-focus effect, use multiple pins and smart filters, and get a bokeh effect.
Tutorial Assets
1. The road to Heaven by Nina Matthews Photography
2. Farnham Street by Steve Parker
3. Light me up by Valerie Everett
Working with Pins and Modifying the Blur and Transition Areas
STEP ONE: Open The road to Heaven image, Right-click the Background layer, and choose Convert to Smart Object. Alternatively, you can select that layer and go to Filter>Convert for Smart Filters. This is an optional step, but smart objects are great when using filters, as they make the applied filters editable at any time, as well as create smart filter masks that can help with modifying and cleaning up the final results.