Motion blur is the apparent streaking of rapidly moving objects in a still image or a sequence of images such as a movie or animation.

Photography

Because the effect is caused by the relative motion between the camera, and the objects and scene, motion blur may be avoided by panning the camera to track those moving objects. In this case, even with long exposure times, the objects will appear sharper, and the background more blurred.

Computer animation

Similarly, in real-time computer animation each frame shows a perfect instant in time (analogous to a camera with an infinitely fast shutter), with zero motion blur. This is why a video game with a frame rate of 25-30 frames per second will seem staggered, while natural motion filmed at the same frame rate appears rather more continuous. Many next generation video games feature motion blur, especially vehicle simulation games. In pre-rendered computer animation, such as CGI movies, realistic motion blur can be drawn because the renderer has more time to draw each frame. Temporal anti-aliasing produces frames as a composite of many instants.

Negative effects of motion blur

In televised sports, where conventional cameras expose pictures 25 or 30 times per second, motion blur can be inconvenient because it obscures the exact position of a projectile or athlete in slow motion. For this reason special cameras are often used which eliminate motion blurring by taking rapid exposures on the order of 1/1000 of a second, and then transmitting them over the course of the next 1/25 or 1/30 of a second. Although this gives sharper slow motion replays it can look strange at normal speed because the eye expects to see motion blurring and does not.

Sometimes, motion blur can be removed from images with the help of deconvolution.

Image:City lights in motion.jpg|These city lights were still; it was the camera's orientation that changed during the exposure. The dashed pattern the individual lights trace is due to alternating current. Image:Truck with motion blur.jpg|Both the truck and the camera moved during this exposure. The camera was moved, or panned, in order to remain pointed at the truck's driver-side door. That is why the ground appears to move past the truck. Image:Tj pullingout.jpg|The traffic on this street leaves brilliant streaks due to the low shutter speed of the camera and the cars' relatively fast speed. Image:Nightly Rotation above San Jose International Airport.jpg|Taken aboard an airplane rotating above San Jose at night. The city lights form concentric strips.