How to Blur the Background on Any Samsung Galaxy

Portrait mode blurs the background using software processing. Alternatively, using your Galaxy’s telephoto camera or getting as close to your subject as possible can blur the background optically. And finally, you can always add background blur in post-processing using Gallery or a free photo editor app. Which is best depends on your Galaxy phone, your subject, and how much space you have to work with.

Four ways to blur the background compared

Blur created by a lens and shooting distance is typically going to be the most natural looking, as it will increase smoothly with distance away from the subject. Blur created in software is faster, and can be done in more cramped shooting situations. In our bokeh explainer we covered the optics of both cases, for those interested in the theory. Our Galaxy vs real camera comparison demonstrates the increased blur that would result from using a full-frame camera, for the same framing.

Portrait mode

Select Portrait mode from the shooting mode list. Select the Portrait effect icon and select Blur, then move the slider to adjust the level of blur.

Portrait mode digitally separates the subject from the background and applies a blur effect to the background. Wait until Ready is displayed before taking a photo.

Samsung’s S26 guide says the Portrait effect may not be applied or may not perform optimally in any of the following situations: insufficient lighting, the subject is moving, the subject is thin or transparent, or the subject and background have similar colours.

According to SamMobile, Virtual Aperture is now in Portrait mode on the Galaxy S26 Ultra (on the S25 series, it’s in the Labs menu in Expert RAW), letting you dial in the amount of blur for pets and people shots in the regular camera app (in Expert RAW, you can simulate anything from f/1.4 to f/16). Our Portrait mode guide covers the other effects and the best distances.

We recommend not cranking it all the way up, as any imperfections in the depth map will be more noticeable, and it just doesn’t look as natural as a mild setting.

Use the telephoto lens for optical blur

Move away from your subject until they’re nicely framed using 3x zoom (5x for Ultra phones), since a longer lens magnifies the background and makes it look softer. Look for backgrounds that are a good few metres behind your subject, as hedges will still be reasonably defined a metre or so away, but trees ten metres away will be reduced to smudges.

Different cameras have different closest focusing distances, and Samsung advises at least 80cm with the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s 5x camera (though SamMobile reports it can focus as close as 52cm) and 30cm with the S25 Ultra’s 5x, for example. Different aperture shapes affect out-of-focus highlights, and the S26 Ultra’s 5x camera has a round aperture, so expect circles or ovals. Our S26 Ultra zoom guide lists working distances for each lens.

Telephoto cameras let in less light than main cameras, and phones sometimes decide to use a crop from the main camera instead if there’s not enough light or you’re too close to your subject. You can prevent this happening by turning off Auto lens switching in Camera Assistant, but you might want to consider adding some extra light instead (or as well).

Get close to small subjects

The closer you get to your subject the more the blur increases, allowing even the wider main camera to separate a flower (or a cup of coffee, etc.) from the background. Get the phone a bit away from the object and tap on it to make sure that it’s in focus. Also, make sure that the background is far enough away from your subject – if the wall is right behind your cup of coffee, it’s not going to get much blurrier however close you hold your phone.

On the S26 Ultra, Focus enhancer (flower icon) automatically uses the ultra-wide camera for close-range shots so that it can keep your subject in focus, according to Samsung’s guide.

In Food mode, everything inside an adjustable frame stays in focus and the rest is blurred, according to Samsung’s S26 guide. You can move and resize the frame to highlight your subject. Food mode is also available on the Galaxy A57. For close-up work, our food photography guide and macro guide go further.

Change or add blur after the shot

According to Samsung’s S26 guide, Portrait mode gives you the ability to add a background effect and edit it later in Gallery. Depending on the version of One UI you’re using, this feature may be called something different or be located elsewhere.

If you took your shot using Photo mode, you may be able to get similar results using the Lens Blur tool in the free Snapseed app, which Google describes as object-aware bokeh to help create a nice soft background effect. There’s also a newer Depth Lens Blur feature that Google says produces more natural-looking blur with depth. Zoom in to check edges, particularly around hair and ears, and dial back the amount of blur if there’s an obvious halo around the subject.

Fixing blur that looks fake

• Hair looks cut out. Lower the blur strength and pick a background that contrasts with the hair, since Samsung notes the effect can fail when subject and background are a similar colour.
• According to Samsung, Portrait mode may not perform well on transparent and/or thin objects (for example glasses or a glass of water). Try the telephoto lens instead.
• If Ready never appears, try shooting in better lighting conditions. According to Samsung, Portrait mode requires enough light to work. Check the distance between you and your subject.
• If nothing in the background blurs, try to move your subject away from the background (towards you) or move the background away from your subject.
• Samsung says Portrait mode may not always deliver optimal results on uniform (plain) subjects/backgrounds.
• Bright spots look smeared. Wipe the lens, since a fingerprint spreads highlights across the frame, as our blurry camera guide explains.