Minimize Distractions

Taking pictures is an art, you have to pay attention to the ambient around you in order to express your ideas. For instance, when you want to snap a photo of yourself in a crowded place, it is hard to control what else will be displayed in the picture. Luckily there are editing tools that are designed to help in these circumstances. 

In AirBrush, we have an option called Bokeh. It is a blurring tool that facilitates the removal of unwanted items. It doesn’t erase them- we have a specific tool for that too, but it creates the illusion that allows whoever is looking at the picture to not be distracted by the background. 

Using the Bokeh tool is straightforward. There are five options to pick from, you either choose a shape-like effect, or you decide where or what to manually blur out. 

Like other tools in the AirBrush app, you also have the sliding bar to choose how much to blur out.

If you decide to use the Smart Select tool, there are three very useful options. Auto is self-explanatory, it will decide what areas to blur out. Now, the Smart Select tool itself (the second icon) gives you the power to brush over the areas you do not want the blur to be applied to. As you begin to brush, you will see these areas turn orange. Zoom in to minimize uneven editing spaces or use the magnifying glass. You can also make the brushing tool bigger or smaller for your convenience. If you do brush over an area you unmeant to do, use the Eraser tool. 

Either intentional or unintentional, they can be an inconvenience. Blurring out the photobombers is the easiest fix for avoiding the background to be a distraction.

Between the five options given under Bokeh, it certainly depends on you which of those tools you will use. The best tip we can give you is playing with them and see which one works best for the area you want to cover. Zoom in as much as needed, use a steady hand, and redo if necessary. 

Part of the creativity in taking photos is creating a visual for the viewer. You want to put a focus point in your photo, but you can’t always design it yourself without using editing tools. Here is an idea of what we mean:

When you want to draw the center of attention on X, Y, or Z, a way to do it is by blurring out its surroundings. 

Below you will find a few examples for each of the blurring tools under the Bokeh tab. 

Smart Select is a great option when you have a large area you want to blur out, but you still want to have control over smaller details. Let the tool automatically apply the effect to the picture, then use the Smart Select tool to manually detail out your photo. 

Use the Bokeh tool on your next photo and tag us @airbrushoffical when you upload it so we can see how the effect helped you out!