Bokeh
The shape and texture of the parts blurred because they are out of focus. It is used especially for small lights behind a subject spreading into big, soft circles. If shallow depth of field is the cause that creates blur, bokeh is the result: what shape that blur takes. The bokeh gets bigger the wider the aperture (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2), the farther the background from the person, and the longer the focal length. Ordinary lenses make round bokeh; anamorphic lenses make oval bokeh.
How it feels
- Romance
- Dreamy
- Softness
- Coziness
- Focus
When to use it
- A close-up of a person in front of café or city lights at night
- Softly cleaning up the background behind flowers or a person
- A night street with Christmas lights or streetlamps
- Drawing all attention to the person
In the movies
Not to be confused with
- Shallow Depth of Field
- Shallow depth of field is the narrow range in focus that blurs what is in front and behind; bokeh is the shape and texture that blur takes.
- Lens Flare
- A flare is a pattern of light made when strong light enters the lens directly; bokeh is out-of-focus points of light blurred.
- Deep Focus
- In deep focus everything from front to back is sharp, so the lights behind stay small, crisp points. No bokeh forms.
Prompt
bokeh
Night street, the subject in sharp focus, the small lights behind them turn into large soft round bokeh circles.
Try these combinations
Close-up + bokeh: a person in a café at night
Cinematic close-up portrait in a cafe at night, very shallow depth of field, city lights behind turned into soft bokeh circles
Telephoto lens + bokeh: two people under string lights
Medium shot of a couple under a string of warm lights, telephoto lens, creamy bokeh background, golden hour