Diagnose Your Blur

Pick the blur type that matches your photo; the comparison updates instantly

Sharp portrait with correct settings
Blurry portrait with motion blur from slow shutter

Motion blur from 1/15s shutter, fixed at 1/500s with AF-C

Motion Blur

Subject or camera moved during the exposure

  1. Raise shutter speed

    Walking: 1/250s. Running: 1/1000s. Sports/wildlife: 1/2000s+. Switch to Shutter Priority (S/Tv) and let ISO float.

    Mode: S/Tv 1/500s+ Auto ISO
  2. Switch to continuous autofocus

    AF-C (Nikon: AF-C, Canon: AI Servo, Sony: AF-C) tracks moving subjects between frames. Pair with zone or wide-area tracking.

    AF-C Zone AF High burst
  3. Anticipate the peak action

    Pre-focus on where the subject will be. Shoot in bursts; one frame in ten will be sharp at the decisive moment.

Missed Focus

Autofocus locked on the wrong plane

  1. Use single-point AF on the eye

    Place the AF point on the nearest eye. Single AF (AF-S / One Shot) locks focus. Half-press, recompose only slightly, then shoot.

    AF-S Single point Eye AF
  2. Stop down for focus margin

    At f/1.4 on a close portrait, a few centimeters separates sharp from soft. f/2.8–f/4 buys enough depth to cover focus error.

    f/2.8–f/5.6 DOF calculator
  3. Check your AF area mode

    Auto-area AF often picks the closest high-contrast object (a shoulder, hair, or background), not the face. Shrink the AF area.

Camera Shake

Shutter too slow for your focal length or technique

  1. Apply the reciprocal rule

    Minimum shutter = 1 ÷ focal length. A 200mm lens needs at least 1/200s handheld. Use the calculator below.

  2. Enable image stabilization

    Modern IS/VR/OSS buys 3–4 stops. A 70–200mm at 1/30s becomes viable, but IS does not freeze subject motion.

    IS/VR on 1/(focal÷8)
  3. Stabilize your grip or use a tripod

    Tuck elbows, exhale before pressing the shutter, or brace against a wall. Below 1/30s, a tripod is the only reliable fix.

Minimum handheld shutter speed

Your focal length sets the slowest shutter you can safely handhold. Enter it to see the limit.

mm
1/85 Reciprocal rule
1/11 With IS enabled

Blur Fix Cheat Sheet

One-line fixes for the field

Streaky blur? Raise shutter to 1/500s+
Whole frame soft? Check shutter vs focal length
Subject soft, BG sharp? Refocus, AF point on eye
Random soft frames? Switch to AF-C, burst mode
200mm handheld? Min 1/200s (1/25s with IS)
f/1.4 portraits? AF-S on nearest eye, f/2.8 safer
Low light blur? Raise ISO before slowing shutter
AI sharpen in post? Fix in-camera first; AI can't recover lost detail

Common Questions

Quick answers on blur causes, shutter speed, and AI sharpening.

Why are my photos blurry?

Photos blur for three main reasons: motion blur (subject moved during exposure), missed autofocus, or camera shake from a shutter speed too slow for your focal length.

What shutter speed stops motion blur?

For handheld shots, use the reciprocal rule: shutter speed at least 1/focal length (e.g. 1/200s for a 200mm lens). For moving subjects, use 1/500s for walking pace, 1/1000s for running, and 1/2000s+ for sports and wildlife.

Can AI fix a blurry photo?

AI sharpening tools can improve mild softness but cannot recover detail lost to severe motion blur or gross focus misses. Fix the cause in-camera (correct shutter speed, AF mode, and aperture) rather than relying on post-processing.

Keep Learning

The settings behind every sharp shot