7 Best Apps to Blur Background for DSLR-Like Photos

Best free app to blur background

I checked out Snapseed after having it often recommended on Reddit as one of the most dependable apps that photographers use. You can blur the background by importing an image, selecting Tools, and tapping on Lens Blur.

Snapseed instantly adds a circular blur mask, which you can scale and move by pinching or dragging. It also lets you change the Blur Strength, Transition, and Vignette Strength, helping achieve the perfect effect for each photo.

This is arguably the best app to blur backgrounds, particularly among the free options. It doesn’t use AI, but that’s actually a boon to people who like to edit their photos manually.

The biggest drawback of this option is the lack of automated subject detection. As such, Snapseed is best used with still portraits or subjects with clearly defined edges. In addition to background blurring, this app also lets you use Curves, Selective, and Healing tools to enhance the quality of your photos further.

Pricing: Free

Best background blur app run by professionals

I used the Fix The Photo Body Editor & Tune app to blur out backgrounds, and its workflow differs significantly from AI-powered solutions since all changes are made by actual experienced retouchers.

After you import the photo and pick Blur Background, the app will have you select the subject area and invite you to provide a brief description of the desired blur style (e.g., “soft portrait blur” or “studio-style background”). Next, your image will be handled by a human retoucher, who will send you the result within a couple of hours.

The quality is top-tier – subject edges are preserved, smooth gradient blur, and no artificial halos. Additionally, you can ask for as many revisions as you need to strengthen or weaken the effect. Moreover, you get the first photo edit for free. It’s perfect for portrait and product photos that require high precision.

This option also provides other services like Slim Face, Remove Objects, and Whiten Teeth, while also being marketed as a blemish remover app. You can also conveniently share and download the edited photos or upload them to social media straight from the app.

Pricing: Free to download; from $0.99 per edit

Instant auto blur background app

Blur Photo Editor is often mentioned on Reddit as a fantastic background blurring app. During my test, I imported a portrait and selected Blur from the main menu. This solution instantly recognized the subject with AI, added background blur, and provided sliders for adjusting the Blur Intensity, Brush Size, and Edge Precision.

I particularly enjoyed using the Eraser/Restore brush to touch up on the areas that the AI didn’t process properly, like transparent materials or hair. The result looks natural and brings your image closer to a DSLR portrait. However, the background can sometimes feel too blurred unless you bring down the intensity.

This iPhone photo editor also offers such features as Pixelate, Mosaic, and Motion Blur, while enabling you to download the retouched images in high resolution or post them straight to Instagram and TikTok.

Pricing: Free; from $2.99/mo

All-in-one photo editor app to blur background

According to Google, Picsart is a top-tier blur-out background app that also provides a variety of other features. To use it, you simply need to import your image and tap on Effects → Blur. Next, you can pick from various styles, including Normal, Smart, Motion, Radial, Lens, and Focal. I chose Smart Blur since it automatically locates the subject and adds depth-based blur.

Picsart lets you tweak the Blur Strength with a slider, then employ the Eraser/Restore Brush to adjust the edges by hand. The enhanced photo has almost reached DSLR level, particularly with Lens Blur, which adds a natural bokeh pattern. This app can lose a bit of hair detail, but the precision brush allows mitigating this issue.

Picsart stands out by allowing you to combine blur with overlays, which is why it’s suitable for professional portrait and product photography. Additionally, it streamlines the export process while supporting instant sharing to Instagram, TikTok, and cloud storages.

Pricing: Free; from $4.99/mo

Free AI app to blur background

If you’re looking for an AI-based app to blur backgrounds, then YouCam Perfect should be near the top of your list. You simply need to select Edit → Tools → Blur, and the AI will automatically identify faces and people, while applying blur to everything else. It lets you choose between Auto and Manual mode. The former provides results instantly, while the latter allows you to draw over the areas that need to preserve high sharpness.

Customization is basic but useful. The Blur Level slider lets you change the intensity, while ensuring the blur looks realistic and gradual. This app is particularly great at processing group photos, managing to recognize several subjects in the same shot.

Other than blur, YouCam Perfect can be used for skin smoothing, adding filters, creating collages, and instantly posting your images online. It’s a great choice if you’re looking for a streamlined Instagram photo editing solution.

Pricing: Free; from $5.99/mo

Background blur slider that is perfect for social media content

Even though Canva is primarily marketed as a design platform, you can also use it as a photo editor to blur backgrounds. You simply need to open Canva, import your image, select Effects → Blur, and fine-tune the Blur Intensity slider. If you get the Pro version, you’ll gain access to the Background Remover feature, which you can use before reapplying blur only to the background to enjoy a polished, realistic depth effect.

The applied blur looks realistic and is a great fit for lifestyle and product pictures. Its only drawback is the absence of depth simulation. This is an aesthetic blur rather than an emulation of a camera one. Additionally, Canva allows you to pair the blur with captions, stickers, and a variety of templates.

Sharing the images is pleasantly convenient, as you can instantly export them straight to social media or cloud storage in any resolution you need.

Pricing: Free; from $14.99/mo

One-tap free blur photo app

I decided to use this photo app to blur backgrounds after it was recommended to me by Google. I launched this solution, imported an image, and selected Edit Photo → Blur.

It automatically recognizes the subject and adds a subtle blur to the backdrop. To make the blur more precise, you can leverage the Brush and Eraser features to manually adjust the edges since the AI can sometimes affect the hair or uneven edges.

The Blur Level slider lets you choose the desired effect strength, while the Shape Blur and Motion Blur features make it possible to achieve creative effects. The blur looks polished and natural, particularly when applied to outdoor photos, which is surprising considering how most AI filters tend to over-smooth the background. However, you should still treat smaller details like hair curls or jewelry items with care to avoid an excessive loss of detail.

In addition to background blurring, this auto photo enhancer provides features like Pixelate, Mosaic, and Bokeh Light filters, while also allowing you to share the edited images straight to social media. The UI is also pleasantly minimalistic, allowing you to make all the desired changes in just a couple of taps.

Pricing: Free; from $2.99

• What is the best app to blur the background of a picture?

Snapseed, Fix The Photo Body Editor&Tune, and Blur Photo Editor provide the highest quality results as well as convenient controls.

If you’re looking for premium-grade manual background blurring that emulates actual DSLR depth, the experienced retouchers at Weedit.Photos can achieve the desired effect with precision, while ensuring a realistic, polished result.

• How to blur the backdrop of an image with ease?

Most photo apps that blur the background come with automated subject detection. You just need to import your photo, pick “Blur Background,” and fine-tune the intensity slider. Solutions like YouCam Perfect or Picsart add AI-generated blur instantly without wasting a single second of your time.

• What app provides the most natural results?

Fix The Photo Body Editor & Tune is the most realistic app to blur photo backgrounds since all orders are manually retouched by actual professionals. The backdrop blur looks natural while the subject preserves its sharpness, which isn’t always the case with AI-based apps.

• Are there free photo apps that blur backgrounds?

Yes. Snapseed, Blur Photo Editor, and Canva all provide free plans with unrestricted background blurring tools. That said, paid versions tend to unlock more functionality like AI recognition or lens bokeh effects.

• How to make a picture look like it was taken with a DSLR?

When taking the picture, be sure to set proper lighting and separate the subject from the background. Next, employ a background blurring app to achieve the desired effect. Consider lowering the intensity of the blur while retouching the edges of the subject manually to ensure a professional result.

• Is AI capable of blurring backgrounds as realistically as a professional retoucher?

AI solutions have become a lot better, as YouCam Perfect and Blur Photo Effect Background provide fantastic results for basic portraits. That said, they still can’t match the quality you receive when you approach experienced retouchers from Weedit.Photos, particularly if your photos have intricate edges, transparent materials, or creative depth-of-field effects.

• What’s the difference between blur and bokeh effects?

“Blur” softens the entire area around the subject evenly, while “bokeh” adds realistic, lens-style depth with beautiful circular highlights. Solutions like Picsart and Blur Photo Editor allow you to apply both blur and bokeh to your photos, depending on your vision.