Derived from the Japanese word for “blur,” bokeh effect creates a stunning eye-catching effect for your photos. Professional photographers use complex manipulations and expert knowledge to create this dreamy aesthetic. But if you’re not a pro or don’t have time to learn the more intricate parts of photo editing, a bokeh effect app can help!
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How to Add Bokeh Effects to Photos
YouCam Perfect makes it easy to create the ideal bokeh effect with its seamless editing capabilities. Its many bokeh shapes let you customize your effects with adjustable sliders and various tools to enhance your images. To get your own bokeh effect with YouCam Perfect, follow these steps:
- Download YouCam Perfect free for iOS or Android.
- Choose the photo you want to edit from your phone’s gallery.
- Go to Edit and select Tools.
- Choose the Blur effect to explore the many options for creating your own bokeh effect.
- Select from four different bokeh styles and four shapes, and apply your favorite to your photo.
- Save and share!

Customize Your Bokeh Shapes
With YouCam Perfect, you can choose from four different bokeh shapes and styles.
Start by choosing whether you want to use a circle, ellipse, or rectangle frame for your bokeh image. If you want something more unique, try the brush option to manually select your focus area. After that, choose from these four bokeh shapes to add to your bokeh background:
- Circle
- Shine
- Heart
- Star
Each one adds a different vibe to your photo, so explore them all to find the best one for your snaps!
5 Best Free Bokeh Effect Apps for iPhone & Android
Here are the 5 best free bokeh effect apps in 2022:
1. YouCam Perfect
Best for: YouCam Perfect is best for people who want to create quick, professional-level edits for social media while having access to many other photo editing tools.
Rating: 4.8
YouCam Perfect’s blur effect offers a versatile way to add personality to your photos. With it, you can create a beautiful bokeh effect that blurs your background and puts the viewer’s eyes on your chosen focal point. Using the Blur effect, YouCam Perfect can help you create professional-looking photos in just a few taps!
2. Focos
Best for: Focos works well for taking live photos with the bokeh effect using advanced features.
Rating: 4.8
Available on: iOS and Android
Focos brings bokeh to you with specialized features to create this unique effect. You can take bokeh photos live or edit them later to create pro-level bokeh images. Using AI and AR features, Focos lets you adjust color, brightness, 3D space, and more that normally only work with more expensive and advanced equipment.
3. AfterFocus
Best for: AfterFocus works well for creating customizable focal points using its manual blur.
Rating: 3.9
Available on: iOS and Android
AfterFocus lets you create realistic, natural bokeh effects just like you would with a DSLR camera. It allows you to blur around even the most complex shapes to create a beautiful image that brings your chosen object into perfect focus. The app automatically locates the area you want to change, or you can manually select what you want to blur.
4. Real Bokeh
Rating: 4.1
Available on: iOS and Android
Real Bokeh is anything but generic with 36 bokeh shapes and 33 lens flare effects. You can add several bokeh shapes to a single photo and change their size from small to large. With 28 bokeh colors, you’ll never get bored with exploring this app’s features in your snaps!Best for: Real Bokeh is best for applying multiple bokeh shapes and styles to your photo.
5. FabFocus — Portrait Mode Blur
Best for: FabFocus works best for adding creative bokeh effects with refined tools.
Rating: 4.7
Available on: iOS only
With FabFocus, you can customize your bokeh effects however you like. The app lets you adjust your background blur and change your bokeh shapes to everything from hearts to stars and more. It even lets you adjust your background and foreground quality separately, so the whole photo gives the exact impression you want.
Download YouCam Perfect: The Best Bokeh Effect App
YouCam Perfect makes it easy to create your own customizable bokeh effect in your photos. Download the app for iOS or Android to see how bokeh can transform your snaps in just a few taps!
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Bokeh Effect FAQs
What is a bokeh effect?
Bokeh comes from the Japanese word for blur. It creates a stylized background blur for your photos using various shapes to bring the focus toward your chosen object.
What is the best bokeh app?
Different bokeh apps work for various purposes, and each of these five has something unique to offer:
We recommend YouCam Perfect as the go-to bokeh app for its easy-to-use blur tools and overall versatility.
How do I get the bokeh effect on my phone?
YouCam Perfect is available free for iOS and Android. Download the app to access customizable bokeh effects on your mobile device.
How do you get the best bokeh effect?
The best bokeh effect depends on how you want your photo to look and where you want to arrange your focus. With YouCam Perfect, you can customize your bokeh using the Blur tool’s slider, shapes, and styles until it looks just right.
How do I add bokeh to a photo?
With YouCam Perfect, go to Edit and choose the Blur tool. Then, apply your favorite bokeh shapes and styles to your photo!
- Download a bokeh effect app
- Add bokeh to your photo
- Choose a bokeh shaper
- Save the photo!
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