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Camera-Style Bokeh - Circular Disc Blur, Not Gaussian

Apply a circular disc-kernel blur that simulates how a real camera lens renders out-of-focus areas. Unlike Gaussian blur, which produces a soft, foggy haze, Lens Blur creates the crisp, circular bokeh highlights photographers actually shoot for: Depth-of-field looks, dreamy backgrounds, portrait-mode effects, and product photography vibes.

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What it does

Lens Blur applies a circular disc kernel to the image to mimic the optical behavior of a camera lens. Where a Gaussian kernel averages neighboring pixels with a soft falloff, a disc kernel weighs all pixels inside a circular radius equally, which is what real lens optics do for out-of-focus light. The result: bright spots in the original image bloom into clean, circular bokeh highlights instead of smearing into a fog. Adjust the disc radius (1-50 px) to control how much blur and how big the bokeh discs become.

Problem it solves

• Authentic depth-of-field look – Get the photographic out-of-focus aesthetic that Gaussian blur can't reproduce
• Crisp circular bokeh – Bright highlights become clean circles, the way real lenses render them
• Portrait-mode effect – Pair with a foreground mask to produce smartphone-style portrait blur on any image
• Product / hero shots – Soft, lens-like background blur that flatters subjects without looking artificial
• Dreamy / cinematic vibes – Closer to film-look than digital smoothing
• Single-slider control – One disc-radius dial; no kernel math, no multipliers, no scale factors
• Drop-in replacement for "blur the background" – Looks far more natural than Gaussian when applied to background regions

Lens Blur vs. Gaussian Blur

Input/Output

• Input: Single image

  • Format: PNG, JPEG, or standard image formats
  • Resolution: Any size
  • Content: Any image - bokeh effect is most visible on images with bright highlights or strong subject/background separation

• Output: Lens-blurred image

  • Format: Same as input
  • Resolution: Same as input
  • Visual signature: Circular bokeh discs around bright points; smooth, optical-looking blur elsewhere

  

Configuration Options

• Disc kernel radius (pixels): Size of the circular disc used to blur each pixel.
  • Range: 1 – 50
  • Effect: Larger radius = stronger blur and bigger bokeh discs
  • Reference points:
    • 1 – 3 – Very subtle softening; barely-there depth-of-field hint
    • 5 – 10 – Moderate background blur; clear but natural-looking bokeh
    • 15 – 25 – Strong portrait-mode blur; pronounced circular highlights
    • 30 – 50 – Heavy cinematic / abstract blur; large bokeh discs dominate
  • Tip: Bokeh visibility scales with both radius AND the brightness contrast in the source image. Images with point-like highlights (lights, reflections, specular spots) show the strongest bokeh.

How to Use