Ethereal and dreamlike, the bokeh effect is a specific photographic style that features areas of both blur and sharp focus, and is super easy to achieve. Here’s our complete guide on how to create a bokeh effect, plus its Japanese origins and impact in photography, art, and film.
In this article, we’ll delve into everything bokeh, including:
Clockwise from top-left: License the images above via Muhammad Alimaki, MATHILDE.LR, and ivandonesa.
What Is the Bokeh Effect?
A bokeh effect is the result of blurring an out-of-focus part of an image, whether foreground, background, or a subject, leaving part of the image in sharper focus. It is usually used to draw attention to a photo’s subject, while softening outer or less important parts of the image, sometimes producing an ethereal bokeh lights effect if there are sources of light in the background, such as streetlights or car lights.
Is bokeh a Japanese word? Bokeh is derived from the Japanese word ‘boke’ (ボケ), which originates from the verb 暈ける, meaning ‘to fade or blur’. The term ‘bokeh’ began to circulate in photography circles in the late 1990s, as a Westernized spelling of ‘boke’.
What is the difference between blur and bokeh? Both can produce similar results, with blur being more of a general technique for blurring, or mimicking the effect of movement, while bokeh’s meaning is a more focused effect that combines both blur and focus.
A bokeh effect is the result of blurring an out-of-focus part of an image, whether foreground, background, or a subject, leaving part of the image in sharper focus.
You might ask yourself what is the point of bokeh, if you could otherwise simply use blur effects?
The difference between blur and bokeh is subtle, but the fact that bokeh is all about directing the viewer’s focus towards one part of the image is what makes it so special. To achieve a true bokeh effect quality is to master the art of contrast in an image.
Let’s explore how bokeh translates to different creative media, including film, painting, and photography.
License this image via Rocksweeper.
Bokeh in Film
Bokeh effects in movies are widely used—it’s almost guaranteed that a recent movie you watched will feature a bokeh effect. Commonly used to bring focus to a subject on screen, a bokeh filter can give the impression of intense focus on a face, in which it might be used in the context of falling in love, casting a spell, or an intense conversation.
It is also often used in nighttime shots to create the desirable bokeh lights effect in the background of a scene.
Directors who use bokeh effects to create dreamlike, surreal, or romantic cinematography include Sofia Coppola, Wes Anderson, and David Fincher.
Clockwise from top-left: Film stills using a bokeh effect to create focus or a dreamlike effect from Oppenheimer (2023), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), and Lost in Translation (2003).
Bokeh in Painting
Bokeh blur effects can also be used in painting and art to create a dreamlike effect, or draw the eye towards a particular subject.
South African artist Philip Barlow creates bokeh effect pictures with cleverly blurred oil paint that suggest rainy city streets or hazy summer days, while other artists might use bokeh to enhance portraits or pull focus to a particular area of a canvas.
Bokeh in Photography
Bokeh effect photography is a study in contrast between blur and focus, with photographers often using the technique to bring interesting and ethereal dynamics to portraits, macrophotography, astrophotography, or street photography.
Look to fine art photographer Pedro Correa for ultimate bokeh photography inspiration. The Spanish artist’s work often focuses on bringing a dreamlike, sleepy mood to urban settings and subjects.
Shutterstock contributor Gorodenkoff also infuses his portraits with an other-worldly feel through use of bokeh blur effects.
Clockwise from top-left: License the images above via Gorodenkoff, Gorodenkoff, and Gorodenkoff.
How to Create a Bokeh Effect
Now that you’ve been introduced to the ethereal impact of bokeh, how do you create the bokeh effect? At the time of image capture, you can use lens and camera settings to promote bokeh (see tips below) but you can also create bokeh effects using image editing software like Adobe Photoshop or Shutterstock Create.
You can also apply a bokeh filter quickly and easily to portraits or other images in Instagram or through a Photoshop Action to produce an instant bokeh effect.
It’s worth spending the time on perfecting your bokeh blur effects at every stage of the image capture and editing process, as a fine-tuned technique will have a definite impact on bokeh effect quality.
It may also be worth investing in specific camera equipment and/or software if you intend on creating bokeh effect pictures regularly.
License this image via alexfan32.
What Are the Best Camera Settings to Create a Bokeh Effect?
A more convincing and immersive bokeh effect can be achieved by ensuring your camera equipment and settings are geared towards making the most of this ethereal effect.
Shutter speed, aperture, and positioning can all contribute towards the success of bokeh photography.
Shutter Speed
Lower shutter speeds are usually the best choice for bokeh photography as these will allow more light and blur into your image. Choose a speed that’s fast enough to ensure that in-focus areas of the picture are sharp when you hand-hold the camera, but low enough to bring in more light.
Try between a 1/80 and 1/100 second shutter speed, but note that you will need to also adjust aperture to bring the two settings together for effective bokeh.
Aperture
For bokeh photography, you will usually need the widest aperture that your lens can achieve. Try an aperture of f/2.8 or even wider at f/1.8, 1.4, or 1.2. You may need to change your camera lens to achieve these wide aperture settings.
A fast lens with a focal length of 50 mm or greater is normally better for bokeh photography. Why? The reason being that shorter focal lengths create a larger depth of field at any given aperture, so more of the image from the foreground to the background will be rendered in sharp focus, and you’ll get less bokeh as a result.
Positioning
The position of both your subject and background are crucial in nailing the bokeh effect in your photos.
Position the subject as close as possible to the camera, with the background far in the distance.
In an urban setting, you could try positioning your subject on a bridge or at a window overlooking the city lights far below, for example.
It’s also important to perfect the lighting on the subject to improve clarity and focus in this part of the image.
Very low lighting, like candlelight, can be tricky to work with as the only light source, as this is unlikely to produce the desired sharpness on the subject’s face.
You can combine softer light sources—like candlelight—with a more direct light source to produce a more focused result on the face, and bring more depth into the final image.
How to Use Post-Processing to Perfect Your Bokeh Background
Whether you have an image already featuring a bokeh effect or are starting from scratch with an image with no bokeh blur, you can use post-processing software to refine or create the bokeh effect in your pictures.
For both images with existing bokeh, which you may want to enhance, or images with no bokeh, the process in Photoshop is roughly the same:
1. Separate the Subject from the Background
In any bokeh image, you will need to define the blurred part and the focused part. In most cases, you will probably want to bring emphasis to a foreground subject and blur the background.
To do this, you will need to separate the subject from the background-to-be-blurred. Duplicate the Background layer and, working on the new layer, choose Select > Select Subject.
Click Add Layer Mask in the Layers panel. You can use the Refine Edge Brush Tool to tidy up the subject selection, and bring in any missing areas.
2. Apply a Tilt-Blur Effect to the Background
Then, with the original Background layer selected, go to Filter > Blur Gallery > Tilt-Shift.
To move the entire background out of focus, move all the lines that appear over the image to the bottom of the canvas.
Move the Light Bokeh and Light Range sliders until you achieve the desired bokeh effect. This effect works particularly well if you have lights in the background of your image.
You can see how the before and after of applying the bokeh filter can help you to enhance—or completely fake—the bokeh effect in photography:
License this image via Vitalii Matokha.
See how the level of focus on the subject increases after applying the blur effect.
Tips for Beginners to Nail the Bokeh Effect
Nailing the perfect bokeh effect can be a case of trial and error, but with these three bokeh tips on hand, you’ll be well on your way to achieving dreamy bokeh photography, whether you’re focusing on portraits, urban photography, or nighttime photos.
1. For Portrait Photography, Focus on the Facial “Triangle”
The enemy of bokeh has to be a lack of contrast between blur and focus. While almost completely blurred images can still be suitable for a sought-after bokeh lights effect (see below), generally with other types of photography you want there to be a strong focal point in your image that remains sharp.
In bokeh portraits (like the example below), you’ll notice that it isn’t always the case that the whole subject is in focus. Rather, try to maintain a sharp focus on the points of the image the viewer is most likely to engage with.
This would usually be the triangle area of the eyes, nose, and mouth, which we are naturally more drawn towards.
Allowing for a slightly softer blur on the outer edges of the subject, such as hair and clothes, blends this into the heavily blurred background. This gives a flattering soft-focus, halo-like effect to any portrait.
Team with warm color tones for a cozy effect that will make your portraits feel really beautiful and engaging.
2. For Ultimate Urban Magic, Look to Bokeh Lights
The most urban of settings can be turned into scenes of magical wonder by applying an extreme bokeh effect to any light sources in your image. The more lights in shot, the better!
Lamp-lit streets, car headlights, and store windows make for beautiful bokeh subjects, and are perfect for seasonal holiday photography or to simply create a mood of magical surrealism in your work.
To boost the bokeh lights’ potential for portraits or studio photography, simply hang a string of fairy lights behind the subject, or introduce candlelight into a dark setting. This will bring instant bokeh light potential into an otherwise simple photograph.
3. Create Bokeh Light Trails with Long Exposure
Busy roads become beautiful light trails if you experiment with long exposure and a different shutter speed. Try starting with a 1/30 shutter speed and gradually slow down to 1/15 or 1/10 to nail this abstract style that merges bokeh with motion blur effects.
Be aware that you will need to adjust your shutter speed depending on the speed of the moving object. For cars and motorbikes, between 1/60 sec and 1/125 sec should work well, while bicycles will require around 1/30 sec speed.
The time of day is also an important factor, with dusk or nighttime shots producing the best results. It may take some experimentation, but persistence and patience really do pay off.
Conclusion: Cast a Spell with Bokeh
Perhaps more than any other photography style, bokeh has the capacity to create a real sense of magic and wonder in photography.
Far more than simply the contrast between blur and focus, the best bokeh photography is an exercise in subtlety and experimentation.
Whether you opt for an instant bokeh filter or more sophisticated camera adjustments, there are multiple ways to nail the bokeh style.
And, it will never fail to astonish you—and your viewers—with its mesmerizing beauty.
If you want to discover more advanced photography techniques, don’t miss the masterclass tutorials below:
License this cover image via Diane Isabel.
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