Photos with effect bokeh o portrait mode They have gained a lot of popularity lately. The blurred background and the sharp subject in the foreground have become a common technique for achieving most striking imagesboth on social media and in more creative photography. Along those lines, Google Photos It has incorporated advanced features to deal with blur, to the point that it is now possible Edit the blur in Google Photos very accurately and in a wide variety of photographs, even if they were not originally taken in portrait mode.
You'll be able to edit blur in Google Photos: the feature is starting to appear on iOS
The photos in portrait mode with effect bokeh These are photos in which the subject is in sharp focus in the foreground, while the background is blurred or "broken." This allows to better highlight the main person or object and achieve more artistic and professional results. Initially, it was necessary to have a dual camera To achieve this effect, each lens was responsible for focusing on a different area of ​​the scene, and the system combined the information to edit the depth.
However, nowadays it is no longer difficult to find portrait modes performed via softwarewhether with the rear or front camera. The processing algorithms are capable of detect the subject and separate background and foregroundThis eliminates the need for a second sensor in many devices and makes it easier for any user to enjoy the bokeh effect.
En Google we have a company that has focused a lot of effort on this section, since it has allowed it to stand out with its mobiles pixel and, above all, with its camera app, the GCAMIn everything related to the software processing of photographs, they have it very polished. And that's how the function they are implementing in the app makes sense. Google Photos for iOS and Android: now you can Edit the blur in Google Photos in a simple way so that portrait mode photos (and many others) are exactly as you want them.
This tool started out focused on portraits of people, but has evolved into a true "universal portrait" within Google PhotosIt is no longer limited solely to photographs in which a clearly identifiable face appears, but can be applied to animals, plants, food, or practically any object...and even in old captures stored in your account, greatly expanding the creative possibilities.
Thanks to this improvement, Google Photos analyzes the scene and is able to detect different planes so you can blur both the background and certain foregroundsThis gives the user more control, as they are no longer completely dependent on how the photo was initially taken and can correct or refine the blur afterward.
https://twitter.com/googlephotos/status/1064542146781302784
How to edit blur in Google Photos: here's how it will work
The function of edit blur in Google Photos It's available on both iOS and Android, although some new features are usually released first on one system and then rolled out gradually to other devices. After all, the same thing happened with features like YouTube's dark mode, which arrived first on Apple phones and was later made available to other users.
While the feature is rolling out to all accounts, it's helpful to understand how this tool will work and how to get the most out of it. The general workflow always starts with a photo saved in your library. The first step is, of course, to take a photo with the portrait mode in Google Photos or with your mobile phone camera, although, thanks to the "universal portrait" feature, you can also apply blur to many photographs taken with normal automatic mode in which clearly distinguishable people or other subjects appear.
Then, simply open the image using the Google Photos app and tap the button. Edit to access all available editing tools. Within the menu you will see different sections (such as basic light and color adjustments, filters, cropping, etc.), and in the section Tools you will find the option dedicated to Blur, which is what allows you to modify the depth of field.
When you access the blur tool, Google Photos lets you Change focus by tapping on the area of ​​the photo that you want to be sharper. This way you tell the application which element should be the focus and which should be more blurred. This is very useful, for example, for blur a distracting background or to correct an image in which an unwanted foreground steals the show.
Once the focus point is marked, Google Photos displays specific controls for Play with the Blur and Depth levelsWith the slider of Blur You adjust how blurred you want the background or secondary areas to be, while with the control of Depth You determine from what distance the blurring starts to be applied, thus simulating a behavior similar to that of a fast lens on a professional camera.
For photos that were not originally taken with the camera's portrait mode, Google Photos uses its own Artificial Intelligence to virtually calculate the planes and distances of the scene. Using advanced models, it identifies people, pets, objects, and backgrounds, and builds a approximate depth map which allows you to apply a convincing blur even to old photos. The results are usually more than acceptable for most pictures, and allow you to add a touch more artistic and professional without the need for complex physical equipment.
At the end of the editing process, Google Photos lets you tap on Ready and continue adjusting other image parameters (such as brightness, contrast, saturation, or cropping), or go directly to saving the changes. In many cases, the application offers the option to Save copy o Save as copyThis creates a new, edited image while the original file remains intact in your account. This way, you always maintain a unedited backup And you can go back to it if you're not happy with the result.
It is important to note that these functions may not be available in all photos or on all Google accounts. Some advanced tools are first activated on certain devices (like Pixel phones) or in specific regions, and are rolled out gradually. If you don't see the blur button or the automatic suggestions from Blur backgroundYou will most likely have to wait for future app updates.
Initially, this auto-blur feature was closely tied to portraits of people. Google Photos would analyze the image and, if it detected a selfie or a well-framed face, would display a blur underneath. recommended action with the text Blur background to achieve the bokeh effect. The user only had to press that button and move the intensity bar to set the level of blur, with a personalized recommendation for each photo generated by the application itself.
Over time, this behavior has expanded, and now Google Photos is able to suggest blurring in many more areas. situationsProvided the scene has a clearly distinguishable main subject, you can force the blur tool even if the suggestion doesn't appear, as long as your device and account have the feature enabled. This opens the door to creating blur effects in full-body photos, object details, food scenes, or landscapes where you want to highlight just one element.
Once we've made the desired changes, we'll need to save them. In many cases, Google Photos will do this. automatically creates an edited copy As a security measure, you can compare the before and after versions or decide later which one to keep. You can choose whether to keep both versions or delete one depending on the space you have available or how you plan to use them.
However, you should keep other things in mind. For quite some time, the option only worked with photos originally taken with the portrait modeTherefore, it was not possible to add blur to a photograph taken in normal mode. With the evolution towards the "universal portrait" and the intensive use of artificial intelligence, this limitation has been relaxed, but it is possible that on some older devices or specific configurations restrictions continue to be in place.
Secondly: on Android, it works very similarly to iOS. The interface may vary slightly depending on the app version, but the basics are the same: open the photo, enter... Edit, go to the section Tools and choose BlurAnd why are we highlighting this last point? Because if your phone doesn't have a native portrait mode but you want to take advantage of the highest possible quality when playing with depth, it's always a good idea to get one. GCam port that activates portrait mode and improves image processing from the moment of capture.
Combining a good initial shot with GCam's portrait mode and tools Google Photos blur and depthYou can achieve results very close to those of a professional camera, with control over what to highlight, what to hide, and how subtle or intense the bokeh effect should be in each of your photographs.
This whole set of features makes Google Photos a kind of depth of field laboratory accessible to any user, without the need for advanced technical knowledge and with the convenience of working directly on the images stored in the cloud or on your mobile device.