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How to Add Bokeh Blur to a Portrait

6 min read
Quick Answer

To add bokeh blur to a portrait, upload your image to EditThisPic and type 'add bokeh blur to the background' or 'create a professional portrait bokeh effect.' The AI identifies the person, keeps them sharp, and applies a smooth circular bokeh blur to the background with realistic light orbs. Free, no signup required.

Get Professional Bokeh on Any Portrait

Bokeh is the creamy, soft quality of out-of-focus areas in a photo, created by fast lenses shot wide open. Professional portrait photographers spend thousands on f/1.4 and f/1.2 lenses specifically for this effect. AI bokeh lets you add the same quality to any portrait, even a phone snapshot taken in harsh lighting with a cluttered background. The subject stays tack-sharp while the background dissolves into smooth, circular light patterns.

What Makes Bokeh Different from Regular Blur

Regular blur just softens the background uniformly. Bokeh specifically refers to the aesthetic shape of out-of-focus highlights. With good bokeh, point light sources in the background become smooth circles or ovals. Street lights turn into glowing orbs. Sunlight through leaves becomes a field of soft discs. This is what separates a professional portrait from a phone photo with basic blur applied.

How AI Bokeh Works

The AI creates a precise depth map of your portrait, separating the subject from the background at the pixel level. It then applies a physics-based blur that mimics how a real camera lens renders out-of-focus areas. Highlights bloom into circular shapes. The blur intensity increases with distance from the subject, just like optical depth of field. Fine details like hair edges are handled carefully to avoid the harsh cutout look of basic portrait modes.

Types of Bokeh Effects

  • Classic bokeh — smooth circular highlights, the standard DSLR portrait look
  • Heavy bokeh — extreme background blur for maximum subject isolation
  • Subtle bokeh — gentle softening that adds depth without being dramatic
  • Warm bokeh — golden-toned background with warm glowing highlights
  • Night bokeh — colorful light orbs from city lights and neon, ideal for evening portraits
  • Swirly bokeh — vintage lens-style spiral blur pattern in the background

When to Add Bokeh to Portraits

LinkedIn headshots look instantly more professional with a soft bokeh background. Dating profile photos become more flattering when the background melts away. Family portraits gain a polished studio quality. Product photography with a model benefits from bokeh that keeps focus on the person and product. Event photographers use bokeh to clean up busy venue backgrounds in candid shots.

Tips for the Best Bokeh Results

Portraits with some distance between the subject and background produce the most realistic bokeh. If the person is standing against a wall, the blur will be minimal because there is no depth to work with. Photos taken outdoors with trees, lights, or buildings in the background give the AI more material to transform into beautiful bokeh. Specify the intensity: 'add a heavy bokeh blur' for maximum effect or 'add a subtle, natural bokeh' for a more restrained look.

Step-by-Step Guide

1

Upload Your Portrait

Drop your portrait into EditThisPic. Headshots, half-body shots, and full-body portraits all work. JPG, PNG, or WebP up to 7MB.

2

Describe the Bokeh Effect

Type your instruction: 'add bokeh blur to the background' for the standard effect, or be specific: 'add a heavy creamy bokeh with circular light highlights behind the person.'

3

Review the Result

Check that the person is sharp, the background blur looks natural, and the transition between sharp and blurred areas is smooth, especially around hair and clothing edges.

4

Adjust the Bokeh

Want stronger blur? Try 'make the bokeh heavier.' Want to change the character? 'Add warm golden tones to the bokeh' or 'make the background highlights more circular.' You can refine until the portrait looks professional.

Try These Tools

Add Bokeh Blur to Portrait AI Bokeh Generator Add Blur to Background Blur Background

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. EditThisPic adds professional bokeh to any portrait for free with no signup. Upload your photo, describe the bokeh effect you want, and download the result. One free edit per week, with plans available for more.
Regular blur uniformly softens the background. Bokeh specifically creates smooth, circular highlights from point light sources, mimicking how an expensive camera lens renders out-of-focus areas. Bokeh gives a more professional, aesthetically pleasing result than plain blur.
Yes. The AI creates a precise mask that follows fine details like individual hair strands. The transition from sharp subject to blurred background is smooth and natural, avoiding the hard cutout look that basic portrait mode blur often produces.
Yes. Phone photos are the most common input. Even flat, evenly-focused phone shots get transformed with realistic depth. The AI adds the bokeh that your phone lens physically cannot produce, making the result look like it was shot on a professional camera.
Yes. The AI keeps all people in the photo sharp and applies bokeh only to the background. For larger groups, make sure faces are clearly visible. You can also specify 'blur the background behind the group while keeping everyone sharp.'
Yes. Describe the look you want: 'add warm golden bokeh lights in the background,' 'create colorful city light bokeh behind the person,' or 'add soft pink bokeh orbs.' The AI can generate stylized bokeh beyond what a camera lens naturally produces.

Ready to Add Bokeh to Your Portrait?

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