Blurred Backgrounds in E-Learning Course Design #366

Blurred Backgrounds Effects in E-Learning #366: Challenge | Recap

Design Visually Rich Backgrounds Using This Simple Effect

Background images are one of the best ways to add visual interest to your e-learning slides. The right background image can help establish the context for a slide, create a sense of location, or subtly add depth to your slides.

But background images can be tricky. As the largest slide design element, background images often compete with instructional elements like text, graphics, and buttons.

Here’s an example of a full-slide background image that competes with the on-slide text and character.

An easy way to correct this slide is to blur the background. The blur effect creates better contrast between the background image and foreground elements.

Here’s an updated example with some moderate blur applied to the background image.

Notice how the character is better emphasized and the text is more readable? The image retains enough detail to set the scene while our primary design elements are pulled forward.

Moving from Blurred to Abstract

Dial in a heavier blur setting for an even more abstract background effect. The image’s colors are retained, but the detail is lost.

Backgrounds don't need to dominate your slide to be effective. Sometimes a subtle, supporting role is all your slide needs. Finding the right balance is what this week's e-learning challenge is all about!

Challenge of the Week

This week, your challenge is to share an e-learning slide, demo, or design comp that features blurred backgrounds. Try to include before-and-after examples to show how your background graphics transformed your original slides.

Bonus: Share your backgrounds as a separate asset or download. We'll post a blurred backgrounds round-up to share your bundles of blurred goodness in a few weeks.

Share Your E-Learning Work

• Comments: Use the comments section below to share a link to your published example and blog post.
• Forums: Start  your own thread and share a link to your published example..
• Personal blog:  If you have a blog, please consider writing about your challenges. We’ll link back to your posts so the great work you’re sharing gets even more exposure.
• Social Media: If you share your demos on Twitter or LinkedIn, try using #ELHChallenge or #ElearningChallenge so your tweeps can track your e-learning coolness.

New to the E-Learning Challenges?

The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos.

Learn more about the challenges in this Q&A post and why and how to participate in this helpful article.

Last Week’s Challenge:

Before you dive into this week's challenge, take some time to check out the interactive video examples your fellow challengers shared over the past week: 

Interactive Video in E-Learning #365: Challenge | Recap