Taking pro-level portraits with your iPhone is easy if you have Portrait mode. But did you know you can also get incredible bokeh backgrounds with iPhone’s bokeh tool? And that even with an older iPhone, you can create background blur and bokeh effects using third-party apps? In this guide, we’ll do an overview of iPhone Portrait mode and offer a few tips for capturing great portraits and bokeh no matter your iPhone.
What is Portrait mode on iPhone?
iPhone Portrait mode lets you take portraits with beautifully blurred backgrounds, also called shallow depth of field. Portrait mode is used to emphasize your main subject, while reducing distractions in the rest of your frame.
All iPhones from the iPhone 7 Plus onward include Portrait Mode in the native Camera app.
How is bokeh accomplished in portrait mode?
Bokeh is a quality of the blur in the background of your photos. It’s characterized by soft light reflections that show up as out-of-focus circles. “Excellent bokeh” can also refer to the overall quality of the background blur, meaning it’s soft, creamy, and pleasing to the eye. Until recently, bokeh could only be achieved with a DSLR camera and a high-quality lens, but newer iPhone models are using innovative lens technology and special software to create gorgeous bokeh portraits.
How to use Portrait mode on iPhone
You’ll find Portrait mode within your Camera app. Here’s how to use it to take portraits:
- Open the Camera app
- Swipe through to Portrait mode
- Aim your phone at your subject, which must be between two and eight feet from your camera. Portrait mode works with people, pets, and even inanimate objects on most iPhones. If you have an iPhone XR, Portrait mode only works with human faces.
- You can choose different lighting options.
- If you’re happy with the lighting on your screen, simply tap the shutter button to take the photo.
While the process of using iPhone Portrait mode is fairly straightforward, you will have to experiment a bit to find the ideal distance between your subject and the camera, as well as the best lighting conditions for your portrait.
How to remove iPhone Portrait mode from your photo
While Portrait mode is perfect for blurring the background and creating bokeh, sometimes it makes mistakes. And the good news is, if you’re unhappy with the quality of the background blur, you can easily remove Portrait mode from your photo. Here’s how:
- Open the photo you want to edit in the Photos app
- Tap Edit
- Tap Portrait at the top of your iPhone’s screen. This will remove the blurred background so that everything is in focus.
- If you change your mind, just tap Portrait again, and the Portrait mode effect will be reinstated on your photo
Note that you can remove Portrait mode effects only on the iPhone you took the photo with.
How to adjust bokeh on photos were taken in portrait mode
If you’re shooting in Portrait mode, you can easily adjust the quality of background blur after you’ve taken a photo.
- Open a photo that was taken in Portrait mode
- Tap Edit
- Below the photo, you’ll see a series of short vertical lines with the word “depth” above them
- The preselected line is f4.5. This is known as the f-stop or aperture. The smaller the f-stop, the more blur you will create in the background. The larger the f-stop, the less blur there will be.
- Use the slider to move between f-stops to adjust the level of blur.
- When you’re happy with depth of field and bokeh of your portrait’s background, tap Done.
iPhone is quickly learning to emulate all the bells and whistles of a DSLR camera, making professional photo effects even more accessible to amateurs. First long exposure using Live photos, now background blur and bokeh. And while you’re waiting to see what comes next, go ahead and play with your iPhone’s Portrait mode. After all, all you need to master it is this guide and a few dozen test shots.
