Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of portraits is the feeling that we are intruding on a private moment. In ancient times, portraits were mainly done using photographs and were quite intimate. These days, however, it’s much more common to have a portrait done with a photo. While this may seem not as intimate, there are various techniques that can be used in order to create this effect. A good portrait photographer’s photos really stand out. While portraits are typically thought of as something that can only be done well by a professional photographer, it’s also possible for you to take awesome portraits from your Android phone, with some help of course. If you’re interested in tips on how to level up your portrait game then look no further. Here are some tips on how you to take great portraits on your Android phone. Also See: Cool Tips on How to Use Portrait Mode in Google Pixel 2
1. Add a Bokeh Effect
The Bokeh effect refers to the blurring of a photo’s background while keeping the subject in focus. It creates quite a striking contrast between foreground and background and makes for truly beautiful photos. It can be used for portraits and, if done right, can be quite captivating. The iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X have a feature which is called Portrait mode which lets users achieve the Bokeh effect with portraits relatively easily. This system makes use of the dual cameras that these phones possess. If you have an Android phone with a single lens however, you aren’t out of luck and can achieve a similar effect. The Lens Blur option which is available with the Google Camera app can create this effect.If your phone does not use the Google Camera app by default, download it, select the lens blur option and follow the onscreen instructions to use the effect while taking a photo. After selecting the Lens Blur option, the app will guide you through the steps to take the photo effectively. Beloow is the end result of me taking a snap of my water bottle with and without Lens Blur. Google advises that the closer you are the better when taking a bokeh portrait. Download Google Camera App
2. Add Portrait Lighting
Another iPhone feature worthy of copying is the portrait lighting feature available on the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. Portrait lighting lets you give your photos impressive studio quality lighting effects. These include the brightening of facial features, dramatic directional lighting, stage lighting and a feature which allows for making your photos black and white with stage lighting. With Google Snapseed, you can make photos black and white by using the corresponding option under the Tools section of the app. The photo’s lighting can also be tweaked by using the Exposure and Dodge and burn brushes from under Snapseed’s Tools section. The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
