How to take pictures on iphone with blurred background

How to take pictures on iphone with blurred background

  • You can blur a picture you're taking using Portrait mode in the Camera app that's included in most modern iPhones. 
  • You can use an app like YouCam Perfect to blur any part of a picture after you've taken it on iPhone or Android. 
  • YouCam Perfect is free and lets you blur anywhere in the image using a paint brush or a shape.

No one wants to see a blurry picture — at least, not a picture that's been blurred by accident. But there are some great reasons to blur a picture intentionally. It can look artistic, for example, and a blurred background can draw attention to the sharp foreground. Armed with the right app, it's easy to blur photos on both the iPhone and Android. 

How to blur a picture on iPhone with Portrait mode

If you are looking to blur the background of your photo for an artistic, professional-looking portrait, most iPhones make this easy with the Camera app's Portrait mode. This feature is included in the iPhone SE (second generation and later) and most models from the iPhone 8 Plus or newer. 

1. Start the Camera app and tap Portrait at the bottom of the screen.

2. Compose your photo. 

3. Before you take the shot, tap the f icon at the top right. An f stop slider should appear at the bottom of the screen.

4. Swipe the slider to choose the amount of background blur you want. The smaller the number, the more pronounced the blur will be (for example, f 2.0 will generate a blurrier background than f 16). 

5. When you are satisfied, take the picture.

You can selectively blur the backgrounds when you take a photo using the Portrait setting. Dave Johnson/Insider

How to blur a picture on iPhone or Android

You don't have to rely on the iPhone's portrait mode to add blur to photos; there are apps available for iPhone and Android that let you add a blur effect. One of the easiest and most flexible apps with a blur tool is YouCam Perfect.

YouCam Perfect has several blur tools to choose from. There are options to blur the entire photo except for a shape (like a circular, elliptical, or rectangular) region that remains sharp, and another lets you use a brush to blur anywhere in the image. Here is how to use the app.

1. Install YouCam Perfect for your iPhone or Android phone.

2. Start YouCam Perfect. The app is free, but you'll see ads to subscribe to the app's premium features. You can dismiss these.

3. Tap Photo Edit and choose a photo stored in your phone's camera roll that you want to edit.

Start the app and tap Photo Edit. Dave Johnson/Insider

4. Tap Tools

5. In the pop-up menu, tap Blur.

Choose Blur from the Tools menu. Dave Johnson/Insider

6. The Blur tool offers a few ways to blur the image. 

  • Circle: This default option displays concentric circles. You can drag the circles around the screen and change their size. The center of the circle remains sharp and the image gradually blurs toward the outer circle, giving the photo a natural look. Size and position the circle to add the blur you desire in the photo. You can also choose Ellipse or Rectangle — all three of these tools work essentially the same way.
  • Brush: In many situations, the brush tool is a better choice. You can use the Paint and Erase tools at the bottom of the screen to selectively add and remove blur anywhere in the photo. Or, if you prefer, tap the Person icon — the app automatically tries to find the person in the photo and keep it sharp, blurring the surrounding background.
You can paint and erase blur using YouCam Perfect's Blur tool. Dave Johnson/Insider

7. When you are satisfied, tap the checkmark at the bottom right to save your image with these changes.

Dave Johnson

Freelance Writer

Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.

Read more Read less

How do I take pictures with blurry backgrounds?

How do I blur a photo background?.
Open the photo background editor and click 'edit a photo'.
Add your image, click Effect and click Tilt-shift..
Choose the blur model, adjust the blur size and blur intensity..
Save and share..

How do you blur the background of a picture on iPhone without Portrait?

In the Camera app, simply tap the screen where you want the focus to be set. A yellow box will indicate the focus point. If the background doesn't look blurred, move a bit closer, then tap to set focus again. Remember, the closer you get, the blurrier the background will be!

How do I blur the background on my phone camera?

You simply open the camera > tap menu > select “portrait” option > take your picture > tap the thumbnail to select the image you just captured > Google automatically adds the blur background effect to the image.

How do you blur out part of a picture?

It's free to download on both IOS and Android systems..
Download Fotor's app on your iPhone, it is also available for android system..
Open Fotor and upload the image you want to blur..
Click "Focus" to apply the blur effect to your picture. ... .
Once you have a blurred background, save your blurry image..