It might sound a little wacky and you might not know exactly what it is, but we bet you've seen it before. The bokeh — or boke — effect is just a fancy photography term for when part of a photo is a bit blurry and out of focus. The result is an intense focus on one part of the photo while the rest is a soft blur.
You've probably seen it before in photos taken at night in big cities, where all the lights in the background look huge and round. It's also an epic way to give party photos a little sparkly something-something.
It's a pretty effect and it makes a photo look professional. But just because it has a fancy photography name doesn't mean you have to be a proper photographer with an expensive camera to get this effect on your photos. You don't even need to splash out on a new camera lens or editing software. Just grab your phone, open Facetune, and get started.
Before Facetune:
After Facetune:
Here's everything you need to know to create the bokeh effect in your photos.
Step 1: Open the photo you want to edit in Facetune and head straight to the Backdrop function in the main menu.
Step 2: Choose Backdrop for the second time and you’ll see a range of options pop up above the menu. Scroll across along the options until you see two bokeh effects.
Step 3: Pick your favorite backdrop and then head to the Adjust tool.
Step 4: In the Adjust menu, use the Blend tool to either give the new backdrop a natural look or a sharp, crisp outline. You can also use the Light and Shadow tools to make the lighting look more realistic.
Step 5: Save your work and head back to the main menu. You can use the tools in the Edit menu to adjust the lighting and shadows to make sure it's all blended nicely with the new background.
And there you have it! A super-easy way to take your selfies to the next level with professional photography techniques made simple. Save your edited selfie to your photo library and share it on Instagram to make everyone jealous. Oh, and don't forget to apply the correct photography hashtags — you want as many Instagram eyeballs as possible!
