Motion Blur
Blur along the layer's actual movement, computed for you.
Motion Blur samples where the layer was a moment ago and where it is now, and smears between the two. You do not set a direction — the direction is whatever the layer is doing.
It reads everything that moves the layer: keyframes, drivers, motion paths, and a parent's transform. A layer being carried by a wiggling parent blurs correctly even though nothing on the layer itself is animated.
When to reach for it#
- Any fast movement that looks strobed or stuttery.
- Making 12 or 24 fps animation read as smooth.
- Whip pans and fast transitions.
How it works#
It resolves the layer's pose at the current time and at a slightly earlier time, then blurs along the difference. Because it uses the resolved pose, it is automatically correct for every way a layer can move — which is exactly why it does not have an angle control.
Parameters#
How much of each frame the imaginary shutter is open for. 180° is the film standard and the safe default. 360° blurs across the whole frame interval and looks dreamy; low values look crisp and strobed.
How many intermediate positions are blended. Too few and fast motion shows discrete ghosts instead of a smear. Raise it when you can see the steps.
Things that catch people out#
No movement, no blur. If you want a smear on something still, that is Directional Blur.
The layer is effectively resolved and drawn once per sample. High sample counts on many layers is the usual cause of a slow preview.
See also#
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