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How to Blur the Background on iPhone Photos

The iPhone’s camera has gone through massive changes since day one. And I’m not talking about the front-facing camera for taking selfie photos. I’m referring to the main iPhone camera that you use for capturing high-quality photos. This is the camera used for photos people often think were actually taken using a high-end point-and-shoot or even a basic DSLR camera.

Perhaps one of the best features of the iPhone camera now is its ability to take Portrait Photos with blurred backgrounds. For those who are wondering how to achieve such a shallow depth of field with a blurred background in the photos, this guide is for you. Read along as I give you some tips and tricks on how to blur the background on iPhone photos.

Shoot in Portrait Mode to Blur Background on iPhone Photos
The easiest and quickest way to blur the background of photos you take using your iPhone is to shoot in Portrait mode.

Time needed: 1 minute.
Follow the steps below to shoot in Portrait mode with your iPhone and achieve a blurred background.
Open the Camera app on your iPhone.
Tap Portrait at the bottom of the screen.
Position your iPhone close to your subject. (You will be prompted to move further away if you’re too close to the subject, or to get closer if too far away.)
Once you’re at the right distance from your subject, the camera will display a blurred background and your subject will be in focus.
Tap the shutter button to take the picture.

How to Adjust Background Blur of iPhone Photos
Now that you know how to take photos with blurred backgrounds, you should also know that you can adjust the level of the background blur after taking the photo. This is supported by iPhone XR and later models.

Follow the steps below to adjust the background blur of your iPhone photos.

Open the Photos app and tap on the photo that you want to edit.
Tap Edit at the upper right part of the screen.

Tap f/number at the upper left side of the screen.
Use the Depth slider at the bottom of the screen. (The lower the f-stop, the more intense the background blur will be).

Note that the intensity level of the f-stop on iPhone cameras varies depending on the model that you are using. For instance, the main camera of the iPhone 14 Pro Max can go as low as f/1.78 aperture. That is capable of producing stunning background blur on photos.

Achieve Similar Results Using An Older iPhone
Portrait Mode on the iPhone camera is available only on the iPhone 7 Plus and newer models. However, if you’re using iPhone 6 or older model, don’t worry. There’s an easy trick to capture photos with a blurred background using your device. Simply move your iPhone closer to the subject. It should be as close as possible while still maintaining the focus on your subject.

How to Blur Background on iPhone Using Third-Party Apps
As mentioned in the previous section, you can easily adjust the background blur of your iPhone photos during editing. However, that’s for iPhone models with Portrait mode. If you’re using an older iPhone that doesn’t have Portrait mode, you can still achieve a background blur using third-party apps that can mimic the depth-of-field effect.

For those who own an iPhone with Portrait mode, this tip could also be helpful if you’re not happy with the final output when using Portrait mode. There are a plethora of photo editors available on the App Store, and one of them is Movavi. This app has an easy learning curve, and you can blur the background of your iPhone photos in no time. Plus, it has many other captivating features, such as AI auto adjusts, old photo repair, and over 100 filters, so best believe it has your back when it comes to editing photos.

Final Words
I have given you three ways by which you can blur the background of photos you take using your iPhone. You can also achieve background blur on iPhone photos using third-party photo editors. I suggest you try the different methods and determine which one is the most effective for you.

Based on my experience, the Portrait mode is the easiest and quickest way of achieving background blur that doesn’t look too artificial in the final output. And that’s good enough for me.

Tags: camera, depth-of-field, featured, iPhone, Portrait mode
The Mac Observer

How to Blur the Background on iPhone Photos

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