One of the coolest features of the iPhone 7 Plus is the camera with portrait mode. Two lenses paired with software processing create great photos with bokeh effect.
This was originally 
That's how it happened
The blurred background gives the photo a special charm; it seems that the photo was taken with a DSLR camera with good optics.
If for this reason alone you dream of the most expensive iPhone, then I hasten to please you, you can get the bokeh effect on any photo in 5 minutes. A computer and Photoshop are not required, nor are expensive applications from App Store or attachable lenses to a camera lens.
I'm ready, let's go!
To get started, we'll need Google's free photo editor Snapseed. Download and open the desired photo in it.
1. First, let's adjust the brightness and contrast to our liking. In this example I will apply a filter Persons, it recognizes people in photos, makes faces brighter, and slightly darkens light areas in the photo. You can play with the settings yourself or choose one of the preset templates.
2. When all the necessary changes have been made to the photo, you can start adding blur. Select the appropriate filter from the menu.
3. Change the blur mode from oval to straight (click on the circle icon in the bottom panel).
4. Set the point at the very bottom of the image so that the blur increases towards the top of the frame.
5. In the filter parameters you can change the degree of blur, smoothness of the transition and vignetting at the edges. Set the first parameter more if the background is too close to blur it more, or less if it is far from the foreground.
We adjust the transition by eye, but do not exaggerate it, and vignetting will add beautiful darkening in the corners.
6. You may ask: what the hell is this, everything is blurry! Don't worry, the Snapseed magic is about to begin! Click on the menu Action Log in the top block.
7. Open the section View changes.
8. Select the last filter Blur and click on edit.
9. Now we can add or remove areas that will be blurred in the photo. To do this, turn on the invert mode and a mask for convenient selection.
10. We zoom in with the usual gesture and begin to erase the mask from the foreground. First, you can roughly remove everything with a large brush, and then zoom in to fine-tune the edges.
11. We carefully run our finger along the edge so as not to erase the mask from the background.
12. If you make a mistake, add a 100% blur with the arrow and draw a mask in the background.
If the photo contains objects located between the foreground and background, for example, a car, then you can set the blur to 50% or 75% and paint over this object so that the filter is not applied so strongly to it.
13. This is what the mask looks like in the end. Click on the checkmark and look at the result. So how?
14. This is already good, but the background below remains sharp. If the subject is captured larger (only the torso), then the sharpness will fall on it and everything will be ok, otherwise we will have to repeat our trick.
15. Add a filter Sharpness again, but now we place the point on top.
16. Do not raise the intensity of the blur and increase the transition so that the center of the photo is not too blurred. Don’t forget to completely remove the vignetting here, otherwise it will overlap with the previous one.
17. Again, through the Action Log, we proceed to editing the filter. We repeat the procedure with the mask.
Now that's it! You can save and post to Instagram.
My friends call me a camera snob because I prefer digital SLR cameras and tend to turn my nose up at phone cameras. But lately I've fallen in love with my iPhone camera and I've been taking photos with my phone more and more often. One of the obvious advantages that smartphones like the iPhone have is their portability compared to traditional cameras. I always have my iPhone in my pocket, while my Nikon often gathers dust at home.
But also big advantage are applications: it is very easy to add new functions and capabilities to the iPhone by installing free or inexpensive programs. To do the same with a regular camera, you'll need at least a degree in electrical engineering. Last year, I wrote about five reasons why photographers should love the iPhone. The apps I've already mentioned are still great, but this week I want to review five more. iOS platform, which I strongly recommend.
Afterfocus
MotionOne.co.Ltd
One of the reasons I generally prefer DSLRs to phone cameras is the control over shutter speed and aperture. By choosing certain aperture settings, I can create a sharp hyperfocal photo, or vice versa - an image in which the subject is sharp, but the background is blurred and out of focus.
Afterfocus lets you control the depth of field in iPhone photos. It doesn't actually allow you to change the depth of field while you're shooting, but the app does simulate depth of field by blurring the background once the photo is ready. It's fun and easy to use: just open a photo in Afterfocus and highlight the part of the photo that you want to stay sharp. Then repeat the process with the background, and Afterfocus makes a version of the photo that looks like it was taken with a very shallow depth of field. Moreover, you can also apply some additional effects - such as a color mask, which turns the background into black and white, leaving the object in color. That 99 cents per app will be well spent.
Bump
Bump Technologies, Inc.
Bump is not a photo application, it is a tool for exchanging information with your contacts that you can use with other smartphone owners. The app uses your phone's accelerometer and distance information to simulate a little magic. Press two phones together and the selected information will be automatically transferred from one smartphone to the other. This is cool, but it could be even cooler - you can use Bump to send photos to your work computer.
To do this, open the Bump page in your browser and then launch Bump on your iPhone. Select one or more photos, and - this is where the fun part comes in - tap the space bar on the keyboard with your phone. You will immediately be able to transfer photos to your computer. I found that it works best with Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari and Google Chrome. And it doesn't seem to work at all with Microsoft Internet Explorer 9. This app is free.
iStopMotion for iPad
Boinx Software
iStopMotion for iPad is interesting way creating videos in stop-motion format, which I already talked about once. True, last time we talked about creating such videos using a DSLR. iStopMotion lets you take a series of photos using the iPad's front or rear camera, and overlay the previous frame to help define the line of the next one. This is a huge time saver, especially if you are trying to capture a sequence of small movements, such as a Claymation animation, for example. If you have both an iPhone and an iPad, install the free iStopMotion Remote Camera on your iPhone. This app allows you to use iStopMotion for iPad to remotely control your iPhone camera to shoot stop-motion video. This entire celebration of life costs $10.
Pano
Debacle Software
Do you like shooting panoramas? Of course, you can always take a series of photos so you can stitch them together when you get home and can use a program like Windows Live Photo Gallery. But why not let your iPhone take the panorama right after you take the photos? Pano is a great little stitcher that walks you through every step of the panorama creation process. It displays an overlay of the previous photo so that it's clear where to place the next photo in the series. When you've adjusted all your photos into a panorama (up to 16 images), iPhone generates the full view and saves it to your Photos folder. Pano can even create full 360-degree panoramas. The app costs $1.99.
Top Camera
Lucky Clan
I saved the best for last. Top Camera is the Maserati of the world of iPhone photo apps. It has such a long list of features that it costs several times the $2.99 that makes up its price. In addition, there is free version with a lower resolution, which you can try to test the functionality of this application.
You'll immediately appreciate the on-screen level, which helps prevent you from taking photos with a blocked horizon. You can also turn on the digital stabilizer to reduce camera shake and take clearer photos. IN HDR mode High Dynamic Range lets you take photos by capturing a series of three images. And the application does this much better than when using the native HDR mode built into the iPhone. True, you need to hold the phone as still as possible while taking a series of photos. The app also has a slow shutter feature that allows you to take long exposure photos, such as light trails at night.
However, my favorite feature in Top Camera is the ability to zoom in and out using the slider on the side of the screen.
Believe it or not, this is only a small fraction of what this app can do. Top Camera also allows you to use audio commands to activate the photo shutter and, of course, timer shooting. You can adjust exposure settings such as contrast, saturation and color balance. In addition, the application has a surprisingly powerful built-in photo editor that can crop, change exposure, apply a variety of effects and much more.
Portrait mode on iPhone - learning to shoot correctly.
Portrait mode on iPhone allows you to create stunning photos with bokeh (depth of field) effects. Shoot in portrait mode It’s extremely simple, however, to achieve a truly high-quality result you need to know some “tricks”. This article talked about how to properly shoot in Portrait mode on an iPhone, and also collected valuable advice from professional photographers.
Portrait mode on iPhone - what is it, what devices does it support?
Portrait mode allows you to take photos with bokeh (depth of field) effect. This effect brings the subject into sharp focus while beautifully blurring the background. The mode allows you to take photos with simulated studio light in almost any conditions.
Portrait mode is only supported by iPhones with dual cameras. On this moment Owners of the following models can use the “Portrait” mode:
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone X
On an iPhone with a single camera, shooting with depth of field effect is also possible, but only using third-party applications from the App Store, for example, PortraitCam , AfterFocus or Fore Photo. Their main disadvantage is that the bokeh effect in them is implemented in software. Because of this, it is not as “lively” and deep as the hardware effect created by the iPhone’s dual cameras.
How to Shoot in Portrait Mode on iPhone
Step 1. Launch the application " Camera» from the iPhone home screen or by swiping left on the lock screen.
Step 2: The Camera app offers various shooting modes that can be accessed by swiping left or right anywhere on the interface. Select " Portrait", it is located to the right of the standard shooting mode.
Step 3. To take a high-quality portrait photo, you need to position the camera up to 2.5 meters from the subject. At the same time, you cannot bring the iPhone too close to the object. Looking ahead to the advice, let's say that it is better to shoot the object as close as possible. Why exactly is explained below.
The Camera application itself will help you determine the optimal distance. If the subject is far from the camera, a warning “The distance from the subject should not exceed 2.5 meters” will appear at the top of the application.
If you bring the camera very close, a notification “Move further” will appear.
It's important to note that Camera allows you to shoot in portrait mode even if you're not at the optimal distance from your subject. In other words, you can ignore pop-up warnings. For example, in cases where it is not possible to move back or approach an object. Apple says that if you ignore optimal distance Portrait mode photos may turn out bad. However, our experiments show that you can take a decent shot without strictly following the instructions of the Camera application.
Step 4: Make sure there is enough lighting. If the conditions are bad, then the “Camera” will notify you about this with the message “Too dark”. Finding another brighter place to shoot or turning on the flash will help solve this problem (we prefer and recommend natural light).
Step 5. Once all the preparations are done, you can shoot in portrait mode. By default, the mode selects normal natural light, but if you wish, you can shoot with studio, contour, stage or stage (mono) lighting. The effects and their differences are described in more detail below.
Portrait mode on iPhone, like any other, supports a variety of preset filters. To select them, you need to click on the icon with three overlapping circles in the upper right corner of the interface. It is important to clarify that when choosing a filter, you will only be able to shoot in portrait mode using natural light (selected by default).
What's the difference between the effects in Portrait mode?
There are five effects available in Portrait mode on iPhone, allowing you to shoot different types Sveta. The differences between the effects are significant, and each is best suited for specific shooting scenarios.
- Natural light - focusing on the subject's face, blurred background. Allows you to create the highest quality close-ups of a person’s face with a bokeh effect.
- Contour light - halftones with dark and light areas. Used to highlight the face in conditions of insufficient or artificial lighting.
- Studio light - the subject's face is brightly illuminated, the image is as clear as possible. When shooting in such light, it is recommended to lower the exposure in order not to overexpose the frame.
- Stage light - the subject's face seems to be illuminated by a spotlight, a rich black background.
- Mono stage light is a similar effect to the previous one, but in black and white.
Pictures in Portrait mode on iPhone are created with special artistic effects that you can and even should experiment with. However, some rules for shooting high quality photos In portrait mode it is still there.
In order to achieve the highest quality, you need to be quite close to the subject - up to 2.5 meters. The background behind the object, on the contrary, should be as far away as possible.
The greater the distance between your subject and the background, the stronger the depth effect will be.
If your subject is standing against a wall, then there will be practically no noticeable effect (the effects of stage and stage (mono) light are an exception).
Lighting is also important. In artificial lighting conditions, the Portrait mode does not work ideally. In natural light, the mode reveals itself to its fullest, allowing you to create gorgeous pictures, so it is recommended to “catch” the right light.
If you want to take as many good shots as possible with the effect of depth of field, then be sure to use manual focusing. To do this, you simply need to touch the subject while shooting. The camera immediately focuses on him.
When shooting in Portrait mode on an iPhone (as with any other camera), you should try to avoid small objects in the frame that are located at the same level as the subject. Such objects can disrupt the depth effect and completely ruin the photo. Moreover, this is what happens most often.
The best depth shots are simple. Look for simple compositions that will allow the effect to really shine.
Note: about which professionals we're talking about? When Apple first developed Portrait mode, it offered to try it out professional photographers(Jeremy Cowart, Pei Ketron, Benj Heish and others). Photographers appreciated Apple's development and gave valuable tips on how to create high-quality photographs with the bokeh effect on the iPhone.
1. Place your subject's back to the sun. Sunlight will be an excellent “backlight”, and at the same time a background. The main thing is that the background and the object in this case will be clearly defined for iPhone cameras and it won’t be difficult for her to separate them by applying the bokeh effect.
2. Move your camera as close to your subject as possible. Portrait mode lets you shoot with depth of field up to 2.5 meters away, but it's best to get as close to your subject as possible to highlight details. Note that in all of Apple's Portrait Mode promotional photos, the subjects (usually people or animals) are directly in front of the camera. Apple photographers do this for a reason. They know that in this case the shots will turn out amazing.
3. Reduce exposure to make the image more cinematic. You should reduce the exposure very slightly, lowering the slider just a couple of millimeters. In order to change the exposure, you need to tap on the display in the Camera application, and after focusing, touch the display and swipe your finger up (zoom in) or down (zoom out).
4. The subject should not move. For achievement perfect results When shooting, make sure that the subject does not move. In the case of photographing people, this is quite simple, you just need to ask them, but when photographing animals you will have to be patient.
5. Ideal light for portrait mode - soft and diffused. Soft diffused light does not create sharp deep shadows, which will improve the portrait and again help the camera more accurately determine the subject.
You have useful tips on shooting in portrait mode on iPhone? Share them in the comments!
Sometimes it happens that you look so great in your photos, but the background behind you turns out just ugly. And you want to hide all this mess or cut out your figure in the picture. In this article we will tell you how to blur the background of a photo online and for free in just a couple of clicks!
Fabby
You can blur the background in a photo on an iPhone or Android using the application Fabby. It is absolutely free, you can download it from the official AppStore and Google Play.
How to take a photo with a blurred background:
- Open the Fabby app.
- In the bottom panel, find the “Background Blur” tab.
- Don't know how to take a photo with a blurred background? From all the options, you need to choose any one you like and take a photo.
- If you need to blur an old image, you can select it from the Gallery by clicking on the small circle above the effect itself.
The application is also good because you can not only blur the background in a photo, but also substitute any background for your silhouette. You can choose from ready-made ones: hearts, stars, Paradise Island, flowers, bubbles, cats, fireworks, donuts, abstraction and much more.
Tadaa and Tadaa SLR
Two applications will help you blur the background in a photo: Tadaa And Tadaa SLR. The first program is absolutely free, but the second costs 299 rubles. Both of them are equipped with a lot of useful features.
How to blur the background of a photo using the application Tadaa:
- Open the Tadaa program.
- Find the tab in the bottom panel Blur.
- A mask will appear that selects only a clear area, and blurs the rest of the background. It can be moved, narrowed and expanded as desired.
- After the completed operations, save the photo to the Gallery.
Snapseed
You can blur the background of a photo online using the application Snapseed. You can download it for free in the official AppStore and Google Play.
How to take a photo with a blurred background:
- Open application Snapseed.
- Next select Tools-Blur.
- Move the mask until the desired surface is blurred.
- Save the photo to the Gallery.
AirBrush
Another program that helps blur the background in a photo is called AirBush. The program is absolutely free. You can find it in the official app stores.
How to blur the background of a photo online using the editor:
- Open application AirBrush.
- Through Library select the desired image.
- Tools - Blur.
- Here you need to use your finger to carefully paint over the area of the background that you want to blur.
- You can also adjust the blur saturation and size in the bottom tab.
- Save the photo to your Camera Roll.
Facetune
Facetune is an editor that helps blur the background in a photo. The program will also work Facetune 2. It has a similar function.
How to blur the background:
- Open Facetune.
- Upload the desired photo.
- On the bottom tab select the item "Blur".
- Gently use your fingers to blur out all unnecessary space. You can use an eraser to erase anything unnecessary.
- Save the photo to the Gallery.
Blur and mosaic
Which application and photo editor blurs the background in a photo? This program is called Blur and mosaic. It is also available for download in official stores.
- Open application Blur and mosaic.
- Select the desired image from your Camera Roll.
- The middle line in the bottom panel is the effects.
- And the lowest line is the intensity and frequency of the effect.
- You need to use your finger to blot the areas that need to be covered.
- Save the photo to the Gallery.
In the application, you can also apply a mosaic to the photo.
Be the most stylish! Use super effects.
One of the key features of the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus is the dual rear camera, featuring a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 12-megapixel telephoto sensor. This combination provides 2x optical zoom, allowing you to get closer to objects.
In contact with
How to create a photo with a bokeh effect (blurred background) using Tadaa SLR on any iPhone or iPad
1 . Download the Tadaa SLR app and grant it access to the Photos app the first time you launch it. Next, upload the photo you want to work with.
Make sure Mask and Edges features are enabled. The latter allows the application to automatically highlight borders in the photo.
2 . On the selected photo, “draw” with your finger those areas that should remain in focus. After you finish painting, the application will automatically correct the sketched area.
3 . In most cases, adjusting the mask will require you to zoom in on your subject and carefully paint over the edges. In this case, the application will automatically adjust the boundaries. If you accidentally painted over the wrong thing, you can correct the mistake using the Erase tool or simply click on the cancel button.
4 . After completing the “coloring”, move the object away to evaluate general form photo. Then click on the button Next in the upper right corner of the screen.
5 . An interface with filters and special effects will appear on the display. Using the settings, you can choose the blur options (radial or linear) or its intensity. If necessary, the action can be canceled and the photo returned to its original state. If you get the desired effect, click on the option Apply in the upper right corner of the screen.
6 . You can embellish the final version of the photo using different filters, cropping and vignetting. Press Save in order to save the finished photo in the Camera Roll.
Before processing:
After processing:
It's worth noting that the Tadaa SLR app has a number of limitations. For example, the program works more effectively with photographs with a simple background image and clear boundaries of objects. In addition, the utility reduces the size of the image. Processed photos look great on an iPhone or iPad, but when printed, their quality leaves much to be desired.
Other examples of bokeh photos created using the Tadaa SLR app:
