Blur background of a photo for a portrait-mode look
A phone photo with everything in focus looks flat, and sometimes the background shows things you would rather not share: a messy kitchen, a street sign, other people. This prompt has your todo.is agent keep you sharp and blur the rest, from a soft portrait-lens look to a strong blur that hides details.
The prompt
- Blur the background of the attached photo. Keep [SUBJECT] completely sharp, including hair edges and anything they hold. Blur strength: [BLUR STRENGTH]. Make the blur increase gradually with distance, like a real camera lens, not one flat blur. [PRIVACY] Keep the original size and colours and save as a high-quality JPG. Also make one version with slightly less blur so I can compare.
What to change
- [SUBJECT]: Who or what stays in focus, e.g. "me and the coffee cup", "the baby", "the bride and groom".
- [BLUR STRENGTH]: E.g. "soft, like a portrait lens at f/2.8", "strong, background unrecognisable", or "medium".
- [PRIVACY]: Optional extra, e.g. "Make sure faces and the car number plate behind me cannot be read." Or delete this part.
Example result
- Background blur: café portrait
- Source: cafe_portrait.jpg (3024 x 4032) · keep the man and his cup sharp · strong blur · hide faces behind him
- Files delivered
- • cafe_portrait_blur.jpg: strong blur, people in the back now soft shapes, faces not recognisable
- • cafe_portrait_blur_soft.jpg: lighter blur for a natural portrait-lens look, background still readable as a café
- What your agent did
- • Separated the man, his cup and the table edge in front of him from everything behind
- • Built a depth map so the counter (close) gets a little blur and the window (far) gets the most
- • Kept the hair outline crisp and avoided the glowing edge that cheap blur tools leave
- • Turned the ceiling lights into soft round highlights, like a real lens does
- Privacy check
- • Two people at the counter: faces fully blurred in both versions
- • Name on the menu board: unreadable in the strong version, partly readable in the soft one, so use the strong version if that matters
- Blur strength in camera terms
- • Light (around f/4): background details visible, good for travel photos where the place matters
- • Medium (around f/2.8): classic portrait look for profile pictures and LinkedIn
- • Strong (around f/1.4): background becomes colour and light, good for hiding clutter or people
- Getting a natural result
- • Photos with some distance between you and the background blur best
- • Thin objects like glasses arms or loose hair are the hardest part; zoom in to check them
- • For video calls, use the blur in your meeting app; this to-do is for photos
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt, say who stays sharp and how strong the blur should be.
- Attach the photo in todo.is (web or Android) or send it to your agent on WhatsApp.
- Download both versions and pick the one you like.
- Ask for "a bit more blur on the left side" or similar to fine-tune it.
Tips for a better result
- Say "blur grows with distance" and you avoid the flat cut-out look of basic blur filters.
- If you are hiding faces or number plates for privacy, ask for the strong version and check it zoomed in.
- For product photos, ask to keep the product and the surface right under it sharp.
- Combine edits in one to-do: "blur the background and warm up the colours a little".
blur background: FAQ
- How do I blur the background of a photo I already took? Attach it to a to-do and say what stays sharp. Your agent separates the subject and adds lens-style blur afterwards.
- Can I blur faces of other people in my photo? Yes. Add the privacy line to the prompt and it blurs faces, plates or signs so they cannot be read.
- Why does the edge around my hair look strange? Fine hair is the hardest part to separate. Ask for "refine the hair edge" or use a photo with more contrast between hair and background.
- Will it lower the photo quality? No, the prompt keeps the original size and saves a high-quality JPG. Ask for PNG if you want no compression at all.
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