what to know
- The bokeh effect is a soft, out-of-focus area on an image that contains aperture.
- On smartphones with dual lenses, you should be able to choose what you want to focus on and what you want to blur.
- Single-lens smartphone cameras require third-party apps such as AfterFocus or Bokeh Lens.
This article explains the bokeh effect and how to create it in smartphone images.
The bokeh effect is popular among DSLR and film camera shooters, and it can be mimicked on smartphone cameras. Bokeh is the quality of out-of-focus areas of an image. In digital photography, the shape of the camera lens creates a white circle in the background.
This technique can add an artistic touch to portraits, close-ups, and other photos that don't require a focused background. Once you recognize it, you'll start seeing the bokeh effect everywhere.
An example of bokeh photography is portrait photography, where all objects except the subject are blurred. Bokeh (white spheres in the background) is caused by the camera lens, usually at a wide aperture, which lets in more light.
Bokeh, pronounced BOH-kay, is derived from the Japanese word "boke," which means blur or mist, or "boke-aji," which means blurry quality. This quality is caused by a narrow depth of field (the distance between the closest object in focus and the farthest object).
When using a DSLR or film camera, a combination of aperture, distance between photographer and subject, and focal length create this effect. Aperture controls the amount of light that enters, while focal length determines how large a scene is captured by the camera, measured in millimeters.
Depth of field and bokeh work differently on smartphones. The required elements are processing power and the right software.
Smartphone cameras need to identify the foreground and background of a photo and then blur only the background. Smartphones with dual-lens cameras will capture two photos simultaneously and then combine them to achieve depth of field and bokeh effects.
If you have a flagship phone from Apple, Google, Samsung, or another brand, your camera probably has dual lenses (at least) and you can get the bokeh effect without an app. When taking a photo, you should be able to choose what you want to focus on and what you want to blur. Some smartphones also feature dual-lens front cameras for clever selfies.
You can also achieve bokeh effects with a single-lens smartphone camera by downloading a third-party app. Options include AfterFocus, Bokeh Lens and DOF Simulator. There are many other bokeh photography apps available, so download a few, try them out, and choose your favorite.
Take some practice shots to perfect your technique and you'll be an expert in no time.
