Are the photos you post on Instagram and other social networks lately monotonous? Would you like to give a touch of originality to your shots by blurring their background, but you don’t have time to get behind your PC and use a photo editing program? Don’t worry, you can do this simply using your smartphone or tablet. To obtain good results, in fact, it is sufficient to install apps on the device to blur photos and use them in the right way.
In the following lines, therefore, I will go to show you which applications are part of the category that could be right for you and, above all, I will illustrate how each of them works. How do you say? Are you not an expert in photo editing and do you think you do not have the right skills to complete this “undertaking”? Come on, don’t be a coward! I can assure you that by following my instructions step by step you will be able to blur your photos without particular problems and, even, you will be amazed by how simple it can be to do this.
Are you ready to get started? Yup? Well, then make yourself comfortable, take a few minutes of free all for yourself, carefully evaluate the applications listed below and experiment with the ones that interest you the most. Many of them are 100% free, while others are paid or in any case offer the subscription of extra functions with costs. Feel free to choose the one you think will do the most for you. Now, however, let’s put the chatter aside and get to the real action!
Index
- Snapseed (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
- Photoshop Express (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
- AfterFocus (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
- Pixlr (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
- Afterlight (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
- More apps to blur photos
Snapseed (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
If you are looking for a great free photo blur app , I recommend you try Snapseed . This is a 100% free solution made available by Google. It works on Android and iOS / iPadOS and allows you to blur photos in a very simple and fast way, thanks to its particularly intuitive interface that makes photo editing easier for the user. It also allows you to perform various other photo editing options, such as adjusting the exposure of images, adding effects, texts, frames, etc.
To download the app on your device, proceed as follows depending on the platform you are using: on Android , access the relevant section of the Play Store and press the Install button (if your device is missing Google services, you can download the app also from alternative stores ); if you are using iOS / iPadOS , access the relevant section of the App Store , press the Get button , then the Install button and authorize the download via Face ID , Touch ID or Apple ID password . Then start the app by selecting the icon which has been added to the home screen.
Now that you see the main Snapseed screen, tap anywhere on the screen to open a photo and, through the menu you see appear, select the image you want to blur.
To access the various tools included in Snapseed, tap the Tools item located at the bottom and, in the menu that opens, tap the Lens Blur option . At this point, use the blue dot to decide which portion of the photo to blur and change the range of the blur effect as needed using the circles that appeared on the screen.
To change the intensity of the blur, tap on the icon with the adjustment bars located at the bottom and, in the menu that opens, select one of the available options: Blur intensity , Transition or Vignette intensity . Then tap on the parameter you want to modify and move your finger to the right or left to increase or decrease the degree of application of each parameter.
When you are satisfied with the result, tap the check mark at the bottom right and, if you do not need to make any other changes to the photo, press the Export item and save the photo on your device and / or share it on one of your social profiles.
Photoshop Express (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
Among the best apps to blur photos there is also and above all Photoshop Express , a solution for Android and iOS / iPadOS that is able to offer numerous tools to retouch your photos. As easily understood by the name itself, it is the mobile counterpart of one of the Photoshop programs, the most famous photo editing program for Windows and macOS in the world. You can use it for free, but to take advantage of some advanced features of the app you have to subscribe to the Premium variant (at a cost of 7.49 euros / month).
To serve Photoshop Express on your device, download and install the application from the relevant section of the Play Store for Android or this section on the App Store for iOS / iPadOS . Then, start the application by selecting the icon added to the home screen and log in with your Adobe ID or create one at the moment by selecting the appropriate item. You can also log in with your Google , Facebook or Apple account .
Now that you see the main screen of the app, tap on the Edit button and select the photo in the gallery of the device in use in relation to which you want to go to act. At this point, you should have access to the workspace thanks to which you can edit the photo as you like.
To blur your shot, tap on the icon with the adjustment bars located at the bottom and, in the menu that opens, click on the Blur command . Then decide whether to apply a radial type blur (and in this case also indicate the point of the photo on which to act and the area of extension of the blur using the dashed circle that appears) or complete, then move the blue cursor on the bar at the bottom to define the degree of intensity.
As soon as you are satisfied with the result you have achieved, tap on the sharing icon located at the top right and, in the new screen that appears, press the Save button to save the photo in the device gallery. Et voila!
AfterFocus (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
Are you looking for an application that allows you to blur only the background because you want to replicate the bokeh effect that some cameras (and recently also some smartphones) are able to produce when they take the photo? In this case, I suggest you try AfterFocus , a fantastic app that allows you to decide precisely which area of the photo to blur and which, instead, to leave intact. It is available for both Android and iOS / iPadOS, but in the first case it is free, while in the second it is paid (costs 0.99 euros).
To avail of AfterFocus on your device, download and install the application from the relevant section of the Play Store for Android or this section on the App Store for iOS / iPadOS . Then, start the app by selecting the icon added to the home screen and, once the main screen is displayed, press the Album button and select the photo in the gallery of your device on which you want to go to act.
At this point, you should see a box asking if you prefer to use the smart, manual or full blur tool: I suggest you use the manual tool because I have found that the other available solutions do not always work properly, but you are free to make your choice.
If you opt for the Manual tool , therefore, color the area of the image that should not be blurred in red, trying to be as precise as possible. Remember, the final result will depend precisely on the precision with which you delimit the area not to be blurred. By choosing, instead, the Smart option the area to be blurred will be automatically selected, while by selecting the All option the blur will be applied to the entire photo.
As soon as you have finished coloring the foreground subject in red, tap the Next button which is located at the top right, and the AfterFocus algorithm will blur the image. Now, if you are satisfied with the result, all you have to do is press the Save button to save the image in the gallery and confirm the operation by tapping the Yes option .
Pixlr (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
Pixlr is another useful photo blurring app to quickly and easily blur your photos. This free solution, available on both Android and iOS / iPadOS, offers numerous tools that are very useful when doing photo editing from your mobile device, in this case when you need to blur your shots. Basically it’s free, but offers in-app purchases (at a cost of 99 cents) to unlock additional content.
To avail of Pixlr on your device, download and install the application from the relevant section of the Play Store for Android or this section on the App Store for iOS / iPadOS , then start it by selecting the ‘ icon on your home screen and once displayed the main screen of the same, tap the photo button to “take” the image you want to edit from the gallery.
At the end of the operation, tap on the suitcase icon to access the Pixlr editing tools, press on the blur option and use the slider at the bottom to increase or decrease the blur effect. If you don’t want to blur the whole photo, choose the circular or linear option and determine the area on the photo to act on.
As soon as you are satisfied with the result obtained, press on the check mark located at the bottom right and, if you have no other changes to make to the image, first press on the option done at the top right and then on one of the items that appear on the screen, in order to save your creation locally or share it on social networks.
Afterlight (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
One of the best photo blur and photo editing apps on portable devices is Afterlight . This application is free and is available on both Android and iOS / iPadOS. It allows you to edit photos in an easy, fast and intuitive way, thanks to the many powerful tools offered. Basically it is free, but to unlock extra functions and to unlock the blur effect on iPhone and iPad you need to subscribe to a paid subscription (at a cost of 3.49 euros / month).
To avail of Afterlight on your device, effettuane download and install the relevant section of the Play Store for Android or this section on the App Store for iOS / iPadOS , then start the application by selecting the ‘ icon on your home screen. Now, if you are using Android, tap on the postcard icon and choose the image you want to edit to tap the Use option located at the bottom right.
After confirming your intention to modify the chosen image, tap on the icon with the adjustment bars , press on the diamond icon and use the slider located under the Sharpening item to blur your photo, then confirming the changes made to the image by tapping the check mark .
If you are satisfied with the final result and want to save the image without making further corrections, press the Done button located at the top right and tap the Save option to save the edited image to your device or, if you prefer, share it on one of the main social networks by tapping on the icons of Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
On the iOS / iPadOS version of the app, however, tap on the preview of the photo you want to retouch and on the Use item . Next, tap on the control bars symbol , select the Touch tools tab and select the Blur function . All you have to do is adjust the size of the brush using the appropriate slider and move your finger over the area of the image to be blurred. Finally, save the changes made and share the output photo using the appropriate button.
More apps to blur photos
The apps to blur photos that I showed you in the previous paragraphs are the best that you can install right now on your mobile device. However, nothing prevents you from trying other solutions as well, as in the case of those I have included in the list below.
- Fotor( Android / iOS / iPadOS ) – this is an app that allows you to edit images in various ways, thanks to the many tools available. Of course, it also includes a special function to apply blur to photos, determining the type and intensity. It’s free, but offers in-app purchases (at a base cost of 99 cents) to unlock extra content.
- Point Blur( Android ) is a free application for Android devices only designed specifically to blur the background of a photo taken in a “two-dimensional” way. It is quite easy to use and the results offered are more than satisfying.
- Pixelmator( iOS / iPadOS ) – is one of the best photo editing apps for iPhone and iPad. It offers a complete set of tools that allows not only to blur the photos that are given “in the meal”, but also to apply multiple corrections to their shots in a few “moves”. It is paid (costs 4.99 euros).
