How to Use the Bokeh Effect in PhotoDirector
Blur the background into soft, glowing lights in circles, hearts, stars, or other shapes.
Updated Oct. 25, 2026 · 4 min read
In a hurry? Use the Bokeh Effect quick guide instead.
PhotoDirector's Lens: Bokeh effect blurs the background of a photo and fills it with soft, colorful points of light, like out-of-focus highlights from a camera lens. Use it to give a portrait or travel shot a glowing backdrop while the person stays sharp. You choose the shape, number, and color of the lights.
- In PhotoDirector, open Guided & GenAI > Effects > Lens: Bokeh.
- Set Blur type to Focus.
- Click your subject in the preview to keep it sharp.
- Pick a shape under Bokeh Shape.
- Set Intensity, Amount, Rotation, and the light color.
- Click the side-by-side view button to compare Before and After.
- For a still photo, click Export at the top to save it.
- For moving lights instead, check Enable animation effect, then click Export > New Video/GIF File and Produce.
Steps to Use the Bokeh Effect
Step 1: Open the Bokeh Effect
From the PhotoDirector launcher, choose Guided & GenAI.
Click Open at the top left of the canvas to bring in your photo. Then click Effects in the rail on the left and choose Lens: Bokeh under Light / Lens Effects.
Step 2: Set Blur Type to Focus
The panel opens with Blur type set to Circular, which in this example blurs the woman's face too and covers it with lights. Open the Blur type list at the top of the panel to see all four types, then choose Focus to keep a person sharp.
| Blur type | What it does |
|---|---|
| Circular | Keeps a round area sharp, which you move and resize on the photo. Pick it to place the sharp spot yourself. |
| Linear | Keeps a straight band sharp and blurs both sides of it. Pick it for a subject that runs across the frame, such as a horizon. |
| Brush | Lets you paint the blur away where you want detail. Pick it for a subject with an uneven outline. |
| Focus | Keeps sharp what you click in the preview and blurs what lies nearer or farther. Pick it to keep a person sharp, as this example does. |
Step 3: Click Your Subject
Click the person in the preview. PhotoDirector shows Calculating depth... for a moment, then keeps that person sharp and leaves the blur and lights in the background. Or drag the Focus distance slider to move the sharp area nearer or farther.
Drag Blur degree to set how soft the background gets. This example keeps the default, 30.
Step 4: Pick a Bokeh Shape
Click the shape box under Bokeh Shape to open a grid of 25 shapes. Besides the circle, it has hexagons, triangles, diamonds, hearts, stars, a music note, and more. Click a shape to use it. The example at the top of this page uses the circle, and the photo below uses the heart.
Step 5: Adjust the Lights
Use the three sliders under the shape to set the lights. Scroll down the panel for the Color options and Color Adjustment.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Intensity | Sets how bright and strong the lights are. Lower it when the lights pull attention from your subject. |
| Amount | Sets how many lights appear. This example lowers it from 50 to 31 for a less crowded background. |
| Rotation | Turns every shape by the same angle. Use it to tilt hearts, stars, or triangles. |
| Use color from image | Colors the lights from the photo, so they match its tones. It's selected when the panel opens. |
| Use random color | Gives the lights random colors, for a more playful look. |
| Hue | Under Color Adjustment, shifts the color of the lights. |
| Saturation | Below Hue, sets how strong the color is. Lower values move the lights toward white, and higher values deepen the color. |
Step 6: Compare Before and After
Click the side-by-side view button, the second icon at the bottom left of the canvas. The original and the edited photo appear next to each other, labeled Before and After, so you can check that your subject stays sharp.
Step 7: Export the Photo
When the lights look right, click Export at the top of the window to save the photo.
Steps to Animate the Bokeh
Set up the bokeh as in Steps 1 to 5 above. Then follow these steps to make the lights move and save them as a video or GIF.
Step 1: Turn On the Animation
Scroll to the bottom of the Lens: Bokeh panel and check Enable animation effect. Then choose how the lights move:
They twinkle and shift color
The lights change color as they twinkle. It's selected when you turn the animation on.
They only twinkle
The lights keep their color. Pick it when they should stay in the photo's tones.
Drag the slider between Slower and Faster to set the pace. The lights start moving in the preview, and the button under the photo stops or replays them. To add a track, check Background music. Music plays only in an MPEG-4 or WMV file, not in a GIF.
Step 2: Choose New Video/GIF File
Click Export at the top of the window and choose New Video/GIF File. The Bokeh Effect Production window opens. New Photo File saves a still photo without the movement.
Step 3: Set the Format, Then Produce
Check the Output folder and File name at the top, then pick a format: MPEG-4 or WMV for a video, or GIF.
For a video, set the Aspect ratio and Profile, and drag Duration to set how long it runs, up to 30 seconds. Without music, it starts at 6 seconds. For a GIF, the window asks for the Width and Height under Image size instead, and notes that a GIF has no background music. Click Produce to create the file.
We tested these steps in PhotoDirector 365 version 18.0.10 on Windows.
Don't have PhotoDirector yet? Turn a busy background into soft points of light and keep your subject sharp.
Download PhotoDirector Free →FAQ About the Bokeh Effect
Blur type starts at Circular, which can blur and cover a face. Switch Blur type to Focus and click the person in the preview. The person stays sharp, and the lights stay in the background.
Yes. Click the shape box under Bokeh Shape and pick from 25 shapes, including hearts, stars, diamonds, and a music note. Use Rotation to tilt them.
Use Blur Tools under Edit > Blur / Focus instead. The Blur and Grain Effects tutorial shows how to keep your subject sharp and soften the rest.
