As a beginner photographer, I fiddled with the camera to get the perfect bokeh and background blur effects. Now, Adobe’s Lens Blur tool helps me easily revisit my slipshod shots and add depth and focus to my photos.
What Can the Lens Blur Tool Really Do?
My bare-bones kitbag only contains a 50mm 1.8 STM Canon lens and a 10-18mm Zoom lens. Photoshop’sLens Blurfeature, now part of theCamera Rawpanel, lets me add realistic depth-of-field effects to any image without needing a high-end camera lens.
Lens Blur utilizes Adobe Sensei’s AI technology to estimate the depth of an image, especially when a depth map is unavailable. It intelligently tries to guess which areas should be in focus and which should be blurred. It mimics the natural focal falloff I would get from a wide-aperture lens, such as a 50mm 1.4 or 1.8 lens.
To capture depth maps with my iPhone 16, I enable the High-Efficiency Image Format (HEIF) from Settings.
Fine-tuning the controls allows you to add artistic focal points to any old or new photo. For instance, you’re able to isolate a subject byblurring distracting backgroundsor adding depth to your landscape photos. Your photos don’t need to be in RAW format for the lens blur to work, butRAW files provide better results due to their richer image data.
Photoshop’s traditional Blur filters (underFilter > Blur&Blur Gallery) apply blur effects across a selection but don’t use Adobe’s AI under the hood.
How I Use the Lens Blur Tool (on New & Old Photos)
You can use the Camera Raw filter by opening the image directly at the start of your editing workflow. Alternatively, you can open it as a filter anytime during the editing. I always prefer opening an image and converting the photo layer to a Smart Object for non-destructive editing.
It will take a few seconds to activate, as it is AI-enabled on the cloud. Sometimes, it uses the computer’s graphics processor for faster processing.
Now, adjust the settings and the effects you want with the following controls:
You can also enableVisualize Depthto see what’s in the foreground and background. A heatmap indicates which areas are in focus (warm yellow tones) and which are out of focus (cool blue tones).
Use the Brush Refinement tools to paint over areas that need more focus or blurs. The Focus and Blur manual adjustments are also great for finetuning the effects near the edges. Finally, click OK to apply the changes.
Now that we have the basics down let’s explore some creative ways to use the Lens Blur options.
you’re able to use the same Lens Blur settings in Lightroom toblur a photo’s background. However, the Camera Raw version in Photoshop offers finer manual adjustments.
Simulating Shallow Depth of Field
The most apparent use of lens blur is tosimulate a shallow depth of field, as we get from a wide-aperture shot. By blurring backgrounds, I can remove distractions I didn’t think about when I took the photo.
The photo in the example above didn’t have any shallow depth of field. I Lens Blur to simulate a depth of field. Then, the Refinement brush settings helped me soften some more areas manually, which the AI didn’t quite get. The Refine panel with the Focus brush is especially useful for edges (e.g., leaf tips here), which the AI tends to blur.
Artistic Bokeh Effects
It’s fun to play around with the different bokeh effects and see how they interact with various light sources. Instead of relying on lens settings, I can generate creamy, circular bokeh in any shot—for instance,night photography of cityscapesor even simple LED fairy lights.
You can enhance the bokeh effects of any splotches of light by dragging theBokeh Boostslider to the right. Note that you won’t see any boost in photos without point-like light sources.
Play around with the differentBokehshapes from the options until you find a combination that works for the photo. The effects are subtle, and it works best if you have a foreground in sharp focus.
Enhancing Depth in Landscapes
Using Lens Blur on landscape photos also opens up creative possibilities. For instance, you can apply a strong blur to the entire image for a surreal, dreamlike atmosphere. Or selectively blur distant elements to highlight the depth and dimensionality of the scene.
Here, I’ve taken a mundane photograph of a road and played around with the Lens Blur settings. Adjusting theFocus Rangebox and boosting the Bokeh helps to use the road as a leading line and guide the viewer’s eye.
In many cases, the blur may cause ghosting around the edges. You will need to finetune it with the Refinement brushes.
Lens Blur gave me a creative excuse to revisit and rescue my old photos with aesthetic touches. But it’s not a perfect tool, so your mileage will vary. I usually zoom in to see the areas it misses and attempt to paint and fix them with the Refine options.
That said, the AI tool’s depth analysis is impressive. Plus, it also perks up your smartphone captures with a nice bokeh. So, I doubt the average person could tell the difference between the bokeh effects and an actual f/ 1.4 lens fully open. You can always use other Photoshop editing techniques to complement the Lens Blur tool with a few finishing touches.
