Want to achieve a unique DSLR camera effect without splurging on equipment? Well, although it’s difficult to replicate this look with just a phone camera, it’s not actually impossible to do. And we’re about to tell you how!
Here’s our list of the best bokeh effect apps for Android & iOS you wouldn’t like to miss. These apps offer a wide range of photo overlays of all kinds, including stunning bokeh effects. Plus, all the apps feature powerful blurring tools and let you regulate the depth of field to get a fully professional result. Take a look!
PhotoDirector
Let’s start with a one-stop app for editing. It features a bunch of AI-powered effects and tools that lead to barrier-free editing. So even if you’re a newbie and not sure how to modify photos properly, no worries – the app will practically do it for you.
The app covers tons of effects and overlays of all kinds, including bokeh. There are a bunch of options and styles to choose from, and you’ll get to adjust transparency to match your needs. You’ll also get to drag the overlays and adjust the placement if needed. Along with bokeh, there are light rays, retro overlays, and various textures you could try.
The app covers a powerful blurring tool with several styles to try. You’ll get to control the blur entirely with the help of a magic brush, which is handy. As for the tools that operate on AI, there’s one that animates your photos, including overlays. The app also lets you replace the sky and background in general with a single tap. It features AI avatars as well and lets you generate all kinds of images within secs.
You may also like: 11 Best Picture Outline Maker Apps
LD Photo Editor
If you like to work with layers when it comes to photos, this app will become your holy grail for sure. It’s all about making your shots cinematic and impressive, and there are a bunch of visual techniques and overlays you could try here. Herewith, the overlays and effects don’t look too unnatural. The app is more about enhancing the power of light and other natural elements.
The UI of this one is clean and minimalistic, using this app is a pure pleasure. To get into details about the features, there’s one that lets you add custom light rays to add up to the atmosphere. The same goes for light hits, and you’ll get to regulate the intensity of all the elements.
As for the other natural elements, there are plenty of rain, fog, and snow effects as well. The variety of bokeh is pretty wide as well, you’ll get to find one to match any pic. The app lets you add multiple layers and customize each of them with a masking tool. You’ll get to erase the parts of the layers you’re not interested in and paint some parts out if needed.
Lomograph
That’s an editing app with a bunch of tools for a retro atmosphere. The main goal of this one is to give your pis and trendy nostalgic vibe. Just like it was shot in the ’90s, basically. Understandably, it’s not for everyone, so it’s not your kind of thing, just pick any other bokeh app from our list.
Speaking of features, the app covers a wide range of light leaks and bokeh you can layer on your snaps. You’ll get to regulate the transparency of all the layers to match your prefs. There are also dozens of retro filters that will be your one-stop editing solution.
Of course, the vintage cam would not be completed without date stamps. There are several styles for you to try. You may rather come for random data or put a specific one manually. Plus, there are such effects as dust, distortion, blur, and all that. There are a few collections that should be bought separately, but the majority of those are free.
Lumii
Here’s a powerful editing app with all the essential features for stylish pics. This app has everything you may need, truly. There are over 100 presets for one-tap transformation, and tons of effects to play with. And the good thing is, there are no ads while editing, so you won’t get annoyed and distracted.
All the filters and presets are highly adjustable, so you can match them to every mood, lighting, and all that. Whether you are a beginner or a pro, there are tools you’ll enjoy using for sure. There are tons of overlays as well, including multiple bokeh options. You’ll get to set the transparency of the layers and adjust the placement as well.
The app also comes with a bg eraser that turns your pic into PNG with one tap. There’s a brush tool as well, so you can control the eraser when it comes to a more complex pic. And once it’s done, you can replace the bg with smth creative. There are various pre-made options, and you can select one of your snaps too.
Focos
It’s a camera app that brings DSLR to a whole new level. The app features stunning bokeh effects that look like you’ve got them with a pro cam originally, and not added afterward. It uses smart computational photography tech that offers tons of pro-looking effects and filters.
For instance, there’s a wide scope of light effects that will look great in 3D spaces. There are no limits to the number of layers, and all the tools are free and ready to use. Plus, the app lets you modify the depth of field manually. The auto mode is available as well, but all the pics are different, and your help may be required.
The refocusing tool is here as well, and it gives a more professional look to portraits: ones that were already taken and those you take with a built-in cam. There are also multiple lens simulation tools. Sooth to say, the app can simulate the lens of pretty much every popular camera. Of course, all the basic essentials as brightness regulation are included as well.
Check also: 9 Best Trippy Camera Apps
Blur Image
That’s a DSLR cam that lets you blur photos with little to no effort. It only takes one click to add a professionally looking blur to a pic of yours. In fact, there are several styles of blur you could try. First, there’s a classic bg blur. It seems to work without bgs and recognize the important objects well enough, but you can adjust the blur if needed.
The app also lets you replace the bg with a nature photo, gradient, or any pic of your choice, really. Plus, you can use the tool to blur unwanted objects. The app features various types of blur, so there’s smth for everyone. It also covers a vast lib of bokeh effects of all kinds. There are dozens of bokeh styles and light leaks you’ll get to customize by playing with transparency.
Beyond that, the app comes with a portrait cam to elevate the way you take snaps. There are a couple of one-stop presets, and all of them are highly adjustable as well. There’s even a special pack of drip art effects if needed.
Polish
Next, there’s a handy all-in-one app for pic editing. If your goal is to get the maximum variety of filters and effects without hidden costs and sub-packs, this app might be the one. For now, it features over a hundred filters, and more are yet to come. There are options for all vibes and styles of photography.
All the options are categorized for easy navigation, and there are special folders for VHS, natural, dark, glitch, dew, and other filters. You’ll also get to play with contrast and hue if needed. Of course, there are tons of bokeh, glitch, pixel, and other effects for you to experiment with. All of these can be altered manually to fit your images perfectly.
Along with that, the app comes with a body retouching tool to perfect your appearance. It covers all the standard tools and beauty filters, no worries. You may even use the app to make stylish collages with up to 18 pics included. There are lots of templates here, so you’ll cope with it easy as pie.
Blur Photo Editor
That’s a great app if you want to achieve a pro-DSLR cam look but don’t have much experience with editing. The app is incredibly easy to use, so you’ll get to make things right even on the first try. Plus, most of the tools only take one tap to get applied, so in most cases, you won’t even need to adjust anything manually.
The app features several kinds of blur you could try: motion, zoom, gaussian, mosaic, and more. All of these can be altered to match your pic, no worries. And if the app won’t do a great job marking the bg, feel free to use a brush tool to get it right. It also includes all the classic adjustment tools and even a curve control for complex edits.
The range of bokeh effects is pretty impressive, and there are tons of light strikes and other overlays as well. For instance, there’s a whole section of neon spirals and sparkles of all colors and sizes. You may also play with dripping effects and all the selfie filters if needed. The app features some paid content, but the variety of free tools is impressive.
You may also check: 11 Best Sparkle Effect Apps
Focus
To wrap up, there’s a simple app to give your shots a more professional look. It’s an AI-powered app that will turn your phone into a full-on DSLR cam. You’ll get to achieve a complex bokeh look with little to no effort here. The app covers multiple bokeh shapes (over 30, to be exact) from hearts to diamonds or flowers.
More to that, there are over 20 lens effects simulating real cameras. There are such options as eclipse, softening, distortion, and more. You also get a bunch of optical effects of all kinds. The toning toll is pretty complete as well: you get all the basics along with advanced features like lens flare, curves, and all that. And if you’re not in the mood for manual work, there are over 20 preset packs made specifically for portraits, landscapes, nature, and all that.
Another thing this app is good at is blurring. There are multiple styles available, and you can refocus the bg with a single tap here. The manual blur is available as well, and you’ll also get to regulate the depth of field to get a better result.
