The social network for photo sharing has just rolled out a new mode for taking photos on Android devices. This new feature called Instagram Focus will allow you to take portraits of yourself or your friends like a real pro. The application automatically blurs the background to highlight the faces present in the photograph..
Portrait mode with bokeh effect
The developers in charge of the most popular image sharing service in the world have just made some improvements to the camera. Version 39 of the Instagram application is enriched with a new mode similar to that present on the latest high-end smartphones like the iPhone X or the Google Pixel 2.
This new mode allows you to add a bokeh effect to all your portraits. If this name does not mean anything to you, know that it is a background artistic blur. You have certainly seen some. You know these very beautiful photographs with a very clear subject in the foreground while the background appears all out of focus. This is the bokeh effect..
With a camera, it's quite easy to add this effect to a portrait. For that, it is enough to have a lens with a large focal length, then to select a very open diaphragm (the smallest value f). This will allow a lot of light to enter and automatically generate a blur .
Until now smartphones have had enormous difficulty reproducing this blurring effect. But since the appearance of dual photo sensor phones and the increase in computing power, things have changed. The latest generation of mobiles are now able to differentiate the foreground and the background..
They will first calculate the depth of field of the scene photographed using their double lenses. The photo application then takes care of applying a slight blur to all parts of the photos that are not part of the foreground.
Bokeh effect with a single photo sensor
For people who do not have a phone with dual photo sensor, it is quite difficult to automatically generate a bokeh effect but not impossible. Obviously the implementation is a little more complex.
For models lower than the iPhone 7, there is a trick to improve the rendering of portraits and create a shallow depth of field effect.
- Launch the Photo app
- Place your device a few centimeters away from the object you want to appear in the foreground
- Keep your finger pressed for several seconds on the screen of your phone until you see the words AE / AF lock
- Then make your photo by choosing the best framing
This technique requires a certain hand and a little dexterity. In addition, the rendering is sometimes imperfect. To improve the quality of his selfies, there remains the software solution.
Perfect the rendering of your photos with Instagram Focus
Many photo applications integrate a function to produce a bokeh effect. This is the case, for example, of the Instagram application with its latest Focus option. You will now be able to instantly take portraits and accentuate the background blur to bring out the faces .
To succeed in this tour de force, Instagram's camera relies on its emptying detection system. Each portrait shot is passed through the algorithm of Instagram. Obviously not everything is perfect.
The app sometimes struggles to isolate subjects and backgrounds. Likewise, some transitions lack finesse. Even if purists consider it mediocre, the Focus function is far from being a bad alternative for people who do not have a smartphone with dual photo sensor.
Add a blur effect to a portrait with Instagram
Here is the procedure for easily taking portraits or selfies with blurred backgrounds. In this example we used an iPhone. But be aware that it is possible to perform the same operation with an Android smartphone.
- Open the Instagram app
- Launch the Camera function
- At the bottom, scroll through the different camera modes
- Select the Focus option, it is between Boomerang and Superzoom
- Place your phone in front of the person to be photographed
- As soon as the application detects a face, the background blurs automatically
- Press the shutter button to take the photo
- By holding down the shutter button for several seconds, you can record a short video while enjoying the bokeh effect
When you're done, you can add filters, stickers, or text as you would with any photo you take with Instagram. Important detail, Focus works equally well with the rear and front sensor of smartphones.
The list of smartphones compatible with Focus
The Focus function is available on version 39 of the Instagram application. You will therefore need to make sure that you have this version or that you update the app. Please note, however, that not all phones support this new feature.
On the Apple side, Focus mode works with iPhone SE, 6S, 7, 8, their Plus versions as well as with iPhone X. For Android smartphones, things are a little more complicated. Instagram has yet to publish an official list of devices that support this auto blur mode.
