I am not a professional photographer, so I'd like to know...why is the background blurred out in most professional photos/pictures?
How would I do this? Would I need Photoshop? All I have is Picasa 3 lol.
The background is blurred so that your focus is on the subject of the photo. You don't need photoshop to do this; you can do this with almost any kind of photo editing software. I use GIMP which is a free program.
You can also get it when you're taking the picture. Check if your camera has aperture controls and select a more 'open' aperture (smaller number 2.8, 4, etc.) to have a lower depth-of-field and blur out more of the clutter around your subject. A telephoto lens (i.e. a long distance lens) will also have a similar effect.