How to Achieve Cinematic Bokeh in Portrait Photography

Most people think of bokeh as simply a blurry background, but it is actually much more than that. Alongside creating cinematic looks, it can help shape mood, improve storytelling, and add depth, framing, and atmosphere to your shots.

And with the new Bokeh AI tool, we now have more control than ever before to shape our images with bokeh. So in this article, we’ll take a look at the new tool, as well as ways to shoot so you can get the most out of the effect. Let’s get started!

How to Achieve Bokeh in Camera

Bokeh is created using something called a shallow depth of field. To achieve this, you need to use a wide aperture on your camera, such as around f/1.8 to f/2.8. Your camera will naturally create this effect for you, especially if you are shooting a subject at a fairly close distance. It works particularly well with portraits, where we are often only a few feet away from the subject.

However, if you didn’t quite achieve the bokeh look you were hoping for in your shot but would still like to create that effect, you can use Bokeh AI. We’ll get into Luminar Neo’s new tool a little later on. For now, let’s look at ways to set up your shot so you can achieve this look naturally.

Location Matters

It’s important to be shooting in the right location and environment if you want to achieve a strong bokeh effect. Plain backdrops such as a wall, the sky, or other flat surfaces will still blur, but you won’t get those distinct light orbs that make bokeh look so striking.

The light sources need to be fairly small, such as a candle, a neon sign, or a car headlight. Otherwise, you need to break up the light source. Take the sun, for example. If you allow sunlight to pass through leaves and branches, the light becomes scattered and broken up, and in doing so creates a beautiful natural bokeh effect. The same thing can happen when sunlight reflects off water.

So consider your environment carefully when planning bokeh shots, especially how light sources are being presented in your scene. That is often the difference between a simple blurred background and truly eye-catching bokeh.

Shoot Through Foreground Lights

Let’s start with ways to shoot, beginning with the foreground of your image. Using lights such as sunlight through tree branches, street lights, candles, and similar light sources in the foreground helps create depth in your shot.

Aim to have your subject positioned away from these foreground elements so that the separation allows you to keep the subject sharp while the foreground stays soft and blurred. If both elements are at the same distance from the camera, you will struggle to achieve this effect because being on the same plane means they are more likely to stay in focus together. This can become a problem, as the lights may start to distract attention away from your subject, so be sure to create that gap.

When done correctly, this effect adds both depth and atmosphere to your image while framing your subject in a much more eye-catching and creative way. It’s a fantastic starting point for using bokeh in your photography.

Backlit Portraits with Soft Bokeh

You can add another layer of lights to complete the bokeh look in the background of your image. Again, making use of things like street lights, fairy lights, or interior lighting can create a strong cinematic effect.

You’ll see this used in films all the time. It helps set the mood and atmosphere of a shot while not becoming too distracting, thanks to the background being out of focus. As a result, it creates a beautiful backdrop that wraps around your subject, keeps attention on them, and still adds a great deal of visual interest to the frame.

Night Time Portraits vs Day Time for Bokeh

I typically shoot night-time portraits on the neon-lit streets of Seoul, and bokeh works wonderfully there because the backdrop is often filled with beautiful light orbs that glow away with that creamy bokeh look.

You can create this effect for yourself by setting up scenes with fairy lights or RGB light sticks that help shape the mood and style you are going for. Car lights, traffic lights, and almost any small light source you can find can help you achieve the bokeh look you want.

But the effect can absolutely be achieved during the day and outside of the city as well. One of my favourite ways, as mentioned earlier, is using leaves and tree branches to break up sunlight. It can look fantastic, especially for dreamy spring portraits where blossom petals help scatter the light, or during autumn when deep, rich leaves create beautiful warm tones alongside the effect.

Once you start thinking about light in a more creative way, you’ll begin to notice opportunities for those beautiful light orbs everywhere. And with Luminar Neo’s new Bokeh AI tool, you can even shape those lights, so I think it’s finally time to introduce this new tool.

Luminar Neo Bokeh AI Tool

After you’ve made your usual adjustments in Luminar Neo, such as balancing exposure, it’s time to move on to the Bokeh AI tool, which can be found in the Portrait section.

Apply the amount of bokeh you’d like in your image, and as you increase the value, you’ll notice a 3D image appear in the Focus Distance window, giving you a three-dimensional map to move through.

This is extremely powerful because it means we can place the bokeh precisely where we want it to fall. That means you can keep your entire subject in focus, or allow the blur to fall off around the top of the head, including parts of the hair and shoulders for a softer look. You can get really creative with how you use it thanks to the level of control available.

Then there are the Bokeh Shape Adjustments. This means those light orbs in your shot can actually be altered, with the shapes changed to match the mood of your image. If you didn’t use a shallow depth of field when taking the original shot, this can work especially well. If you already have bokeh light orbs in your image, you may notice they also change shape depending on the scene and settings.

There is a wide range of shapes to choose from, and here’s a simple guide for how I’d use them depending on the style of shoot:

Rings – modern / fashion
Elliptical / Oval / Hexagon – cinematic / moody portraits
Heart – romantic / wedding portraits
Star – creative / fun / festive shoots

Cycle through the shapes and see which one suits your shot best. Don’t be afraid to experiment and have fun with it, because this tool can completely change the feel of your image.

Minimal Bokeh Portraits

While the light orbs look fantastic, minimal background blur also does a great job of making your portrait stand out. A softer background helps set the tone and mood, especially for gentler and more minimal portraits. We can also use the Bokeh AI tool to allow part of your subject’s silhouette to blend slightly into the background blur, reducing unnecessary detail and keeping the focus firmly on the subject.

If you are careful with your background colours, you can make sure the tones complement your subject’s outfit, creating a much more aesthetically pleasing image. Otherwise, using simple black or white backgrounds can help completely isolate your subject and create an even stronger minimal look.

Layered Street Portraits

This approach uses street elements in both the foreground and background, with your subject nestled in the centre. This layered setup does a wonderful job of creating depth, helping your photos feel more alive and making them stand out much more.

I’ve seen portraits use this very effectively with moving elements such as trains or buses. The motion blur, combined with the bokeh effect, can look absolutely incredible and adds a strong cinematic feel to the shot.

However, you can use almost any street elements such as buildings, telephone boxes, lampposts, or signs to help block off parts of the foreground while the rest of the scene takes place behind your subject. This is often called “dirtying the frame”, especially when something partially blocks a portion of the subject, and it is definitely worth experimenting with.

The Bottom Line

Bokeh is a timeless technique that helps create cinematic effects effortlessly, as the soft background and glowing light orbs wrap around the subject and naturally draw focus towards them. It can be achieved in-camera with a shallow depth of field, but it can also be applied in post with Bokeh AI, Luminar Neo’s brand new addition from the big Spring Update.

Using this new tool, you can not only apply bokeh, but also place it precisely where you want it thanks to the Focus Distance controls. You can also get creative with the light orbs themselves by changing their shape, from the classic circular look to rings, stars, and even hearts.

So give this new tool a try for yourself, experiment with it, and have some fun. You’re very likely to love the results.