---
title: "Directional Blur operator"
slug: "directional-blur"
updated: 2026-02-26T08:00:21Z
published: 2026-02-26T08:00:21Z
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://composer.docs.vindral.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Directional Blur operator

The **Directional Blur operator** gives a layer the illusion of motion in a given direction. The blur can be applied horizontally, vertically, or in both directions simultaneously.

The filter works by averaging pixels along the specified direction within a defined radius. This creates a streaking effect that simulates motion blur from camera movement or fast-moving subjects.

![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/94808959-fd66-406c-ab5e-4691ce952a14/Images/Documentation/image(244).png)

**Location:** Blur and Sharpen

## **When to Use**

- **Simulate motion blur** — Create the appearance of movement or speed
- **Add directional softness** — Soften an image along a specific axis
- **Create speed lines** — Horizontal blur suggests fast lateral movement
- **Vertical rain/falling effects** — Vertical blur enhances downward motion
- **Background separation** — Blur backgrounds to draw focus to sharp foreground elements

## **Properties**

### **Blur Settings**

| **Property** | **Range** | **Default** | **Description** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Blur direction** | Horizontal and vertical / Horizontal / Vertical | Horizontal and vertical | Direction in which the blur is applied (see below). |
| **Blur radius** | 0 - 200 | 0 | Strength of the blur effect. Higher values create longer blur streaks. A value of 0 bypasses the effect entirely. |

### **Edge Handling**

| **Property** | **Options** | **Default** | **Description** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Edge sample mode** | Border / Wrap | Border | How pixels are sampled when the blur extends beyond the image boundary (see below). |

### **Channel Selection**

| **Property** | **Options** | **Default** | **Description** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Channels** | All channels / RGB / Alpha | All channels | Which color channels the blur is applied to (see below). |

## **Blur Direction Modes**

### **Horizontal**

Applies blur only along the horizontal axis. Pixels are averaged left-to-right, creating horizontal streaking. Useful for simulating fast lateral movement.

### **Vertical**

Applies blur only along the vertical axis. Pixels are averaged top-to-bottom, creating vertical streaking. Useful for rain effects, falling motion, or vertical camera shake.

### **Horizontal and vertical**

Applies blur in both directions sequentially — first horizontal, then vertical on the result. This creates a soft, uniform blur similar to a box blur but with directional characteristics preserved.

**When to use each:**

- **Horizontal** — Racing footage, side-scrolling motion, horizontal pans
- **Vertical** — Rain, waterfalls, falling objects, vertical tilts
- **Horizontal and vertical** — General softening, glow preparation, uniform motion blur

## **Edge Sample Modes**

### **Border**

Pixels outside the image boundary are treated as transparent/black. This is the standard behavior and works well for most footage where edges aren't critical.

### **Wrap**

Pixels wrap around to the opposite edge of the image. This creates seamless tiling behavior, useful for:

- Textures that need to tile seamlessly
- Looping backgrounds
- Avoiding dark edges on content that wraps

## **Channel Options**

### **All channels**

Blur is applied to all channels including alpha. Use this for most standard blur operations.

### **RGB**

Blur is applied only to the color channels; the alpha channel remains sharp. Useful when you want to blur the image content but keep crisp transparency edges.

### **Alpha**

Blur is applied only to the alpha channel; RGB remains unchanged. Useful for:

- Softening mask edges
- Creating feathered transparency
- Anti-aliasing alpha mattes

## **Usage Examples**

### **Motion Blur (Horizontal Speed)**

For simulating fast lateral movement:

- Blur direction: Horizontal
- Blur radius: 20-50
- Channels: All channels

### **Vertical Rain/Falling Effect**

For enhancing rain or downward motion:

- Blur direction: Vertical
- Blur radius: 30-80
- Channels: RGB

### **Soft Background**

For creating a soft, out-of-focus look:

- Blur direction: Horizontal and vertical
- Blur radius: 10-30
- Channels: All channels

### **Alpha Edge Softening**

For feathering hard mask edges:

- Blur direction: Horizontal and vertical
- Blur radius: 5-15
- Channels: Alpha

### **Seamless Texture Blur**

For blurring tileable textures without edge artifacts:

- Blur direction: Horizontal and vertical
- Blur radius: 10-20
- Edge sample mode: Wrap
- Channels: RGB

## **Tips**

1. **Use Blur radius 0 to bypass.** When the radius is set to 0, the operator returns the original image without any processing, saving GPU resources.
2. **Start with lower radius values.** Directional blur can quickly become extreme. Start around 10-20 and increase as needed.
3. **Consider channel selection for compositing.** If you're blurring a layer with transparency, using RGB-only mode preserves sharp alpha edges for cleaner composites.
4. **Wrap mode for seamless textures.** If you're working with tiling textures or looping content, Wrap mode prevents dark edges from appearing at the boundaries.
5. **Combine with masking.** Apply directional blur to a duplicate layer with a gradient mask for selective motion blur that fades across the image.
6. **Horizontal and vertical ≠ radial blur.** The "Horizontal and vertical" option applies horizontal then vertical blur sequentially, which creates a box-like blur pattern, not a true omnidirectional or radial blur.