The word Bokeh is a Japanese word that literally means “fuzzy”. It’s used to describe the out-of-focus areas of an image or a shaping light phenomenon, and it can be very beautiful in itself. In this article, we will look at how you can use bokeh to enhance your photos and make them more interesting.

Add Bokeh to Your Image Using Colorcinch

When you’re trying to capture a picture of something, bokeh is a natural effect that helps to put emphasis on your subject. Here’s how to do it in Colorcinch.

Step 1: Open Colorcinch. Upload image.

Step 2: Navigate to Overlays — Bokeh.

Step 3: Pick a Bokeh filter and adjust the Slider to change the filter’s intensity.

Step 4: Click on Settings to access the advanced option. Adjust the filter’s Blend Mode, Flip and Rotate.

Step 5:  You can also erase some parts of the Bokeh filter. Select the Erase tab and change the settings for the Brush, and then paint over the areas to erase or restore.

Here’s the final result:

Conclusion

We hope this article has been helpful to you. If anything, we just want to emphasize that bokeh is more of a subjective thing than an objective one. There are many unique ways to create beautiful bokeh and there’s no right or wrong way to do it. The most important thing is that you enjoy yourself while doing it!

The post How to Add Bokeh Effect to Any Image appeared first on Photo to Cartoon – Cartoonize Yourself & Create Avatar Characters for Free.

As a photographer, you know that one of the key aspects to capturing beautiful couple photos is finding the perfect poses. But sometimes it can be tough to come up with fresh ideas on the spot. That’s why we’ve put together this list of 20 beautiful couple poses for any occasion, from casual snapshots to formal portraits.

So next time you’re shooting photos of a loved one, give these poses a try!

20 Beautiful Couple Poses For Your Next Shoot

1. The Casual Lean

This is a great pose for couples who want to show off their relaxed and comfortable side. To do this pose, have your partner stand with their back against a wall or other support. Then, lean in close to them, resting your head on their shoulder. You can also put your arm around their waist or place your hand on their chest.

2. The Sweet Embrace

This pose is perfect for couples who want to show their affection for each other. To do this pose, have your partner wrap their arms around you and pull you close. You can also put your arms around their waist or neck. Then, rest your head on their shoulder or chest and enjoy the moment.

3. The Playful Piggyback Ride

This pose is perfect for couples who want to have a little fun while showing off their love for each other. To do this pose, have your partner pick you up and carry you on their back. You can also wrap your arms around their neck or waist for extra support. Then, enjoy the ride!

4. The Romantic Kiss

This is a classic pose for couples who want to show their love for each other. To do this pose, simply have your partner lean in and kiss you on the lips. You can also put your arms around their neck or waist to make it even more romantic.

You can always make your photos more dreamy and romantic by adding an overlay effect to them. We will show how to add a bokeh effect using Colorcinch.

Step 1: Open Colorcinch. Upload image.

Step 2: Navigate to Overlays — Bokeh.

Step 3: Pick a Bokeh filter and adjust the Slider to change the filter’s intensity.

Here is the before and after. Isn’t more romantic?

5. The Playful Tickle Fight

This pose is perfect for couples who want to show off their playful and fun side. To do this pose, simply start tickling each other until one of you surrenders! You can also use this pose as an opportunity to get closer to your partner and share some laughs.

6. The Classic Pose

The classic pose is a great way to show off your affection for each other. To do this pose, stand facing each other and put your arms around each other’s waist. Then, lean in and give each other a gentle kiss on the lips.

7. The Hand-Holding Pose

This pose is simple but effective. To do it, just stand next to each other and hold hands. You can also add a little flair by intertwining your fingers or holding hands above your heads.

8. The Lean-In Pose

This pose is similar to the classic pose, but with a little twist. Instead of standing facing each other, stand side by side and put your arms around each other’s waist. Then, lean in and give each other a kiss on the cheek.

9. The Hug From Behind Pose

This pose is perfect for couples who want to show off their playful side. To do it, have one person stand behind the other and wrap their arms around their partner’s waist. Then, both people can lean their heads back and enjoy the moment.

10. The Swing Pose

This pose is perfect for couples who want to show off their playful side. To do it, have one person stand behind the other and lift them up into the air. Then, both people can swing their legs back and forth and enjoy the moment.

11. The Kiss on the Forehead Pose

This pose is sweet and simple but oh-so-effective. To do it, have one person stand behind the other and gently kiss them on the forehead. This pose is perfect for couples who want to show off their tender side.

12. The Nose-to-Nose Pose

This pose is perfect for couples who want to show off their close bond. To do it, simply stand nose-to-nose with your partner and smile at the camera (or at each other). This pose is sure to make you both feel close to each other – no matter where you are in the world!

13. Sitting on the Lap

This pose is both cute and sexy, making it perfect for couples who want to show off their playful side. To do this pose, simply sit on your partner’s lap with your legs wrapped around their waist. You can also lean back against them or play with their hair while you’re in this position.

14. The Cute Pose

This pose is perfect for couples who want to show off their cute and cuddly side. To do this pose, you’ll want the girl to sit on the guy’s lap with her legs wrapped around his waist. Then, both of you will put your arms around each other and give a big hug. This pose is sure to melt your heart!

15. The Sexy Pose

This pose is perfect for couples who want to show off their sexy side. To do this pose, you’ll want the girl to stand in front of the guy with her back turned toward him. Then, both of you will reach around and grab each other’s hands. This pose is sure to get your heart racing!

16. The Nose Kiss

The nose kiss is a sweet and intimate way to show your partner how much you care about them. To do this pose, simply press your nose against your partner’s and take a deep breath through your nose.

This action will cause your body to produce oxytocin, which is known as the “love hormone.” Oxytocin has been shown to increase feelings of love, trust, and bonding between people

17. The Superman Pose

The Superman pose is a great way to show off your strength and affection for each other. To do the Superman pose, start by having your partner lie down on their stomach on a flat surface. Then, pick them up so that they are lying on their stomach on your chest. You can then fly around with them or give them a superman hug.

18. The Cradle 

The cradle is a sweet and intimate pose that is perfect for couples who are in love. To do the cradle, the man sits on the ground with his legs outstretched. The woman then sits on his lap facing him and wraps her legs around his waist. The couple can then hold each other close and share a gentle kiss.

19. The Back-To-Back Pose

This is another great pose for candid shots as it captures the couple in a natural way. To do this pose, have the couple stand back-to-back with their bodies slightly turned towards each other. They can then put their arms around each other or simply let them hang by their sides

20. The Hollywood Kiss

This is a fun and glamorous pose that is perfect for couples who want to show their playful side. To do this pose, stand next to your partner and lean in for a kiss. You can also put your hand on their cheek or neck for an added bit of Hollywood glamour.

Conclusion

So, whether you’re looking for a little bit of inspiration or just want to see some new poses, we hope you enjoyed this roundup of 20 couple poses! And don’t forget to share it with your photographer friends – they’ll love it.

The post 20 Beautiful Couple Poses for Any Occasion appeared first on Photo to Cartoon – Cartoonize Yourself & Create Avatar Characters for Free.

We all know that in photography, overlays are essentially an image or texture that is added to your photos using an editing application. Photoshop is one of the few programs that is used most frequently for this process.

Photographers use overlays to add texture and other things to an image. This basically means that there is an extra layer that can be added to a photo during the editing or post-production process to make it look better.

History of Overlay Images

Before the advent of Photoshop, photographers experimented with a variety of techniques to get a similar end result. They overexposed the photographs and scraped the negatives with pins and other abrasive items.

These days, putting on an overlay will only take a few minutes of your time. The creation of a nuanced effect is easy to create by dragging, dropping, and modifying the blending mode and opacity.

Common Types of Overlay

• Light leaks
• Sun flares
• Vintage overlays
• Grunge overlays
• Patterns
• Film effects

How to Create a Simple Overlay in Photoshop

Using the power of texture and layering, overlays may dramatically alter a photograph and make an otherwise dull photograph more engaging.

Step 1: Start by opening an image in Photoshop. To open your desired base image, navigate to File and click Open.

Step 2: Next is open your second image. One easy was is to drag the second image from its folder on top of your base image.

Adjust the size or placement to fit your base image.

Step 3: Click on the Blending Mode dropdown box.

Pick a Blending mode that will work for your image. We will use Screen mode for this example.

Step 4: Change the Opacity of your second image in the upper right corner of the layers panel as shown on the image below. Adjust the slider to achieve your desired look.

Step 5: Merge your base image and your second image.
Right click on the second image’s layer and click Merge Down.

Step 6: Save the image. To do this navigate to File — Save As.

Creating Overlay Images Without Photoshop

We know that some people find it hard to figure out how to use Photoshop. It can be tricky to learn how to use such a program. There are many alternative ways to add a beautiful overlay to your image. This simple step-by-step guide using Colorcinch will help you achieve the same result.

Method 1 – Filter Overlay

Step 1: Upload your image to Colorcinch.

Step 2: Click Overlay on the left side of the panel and it will open a tab of overlay filters. Navigate through it and feel free to use any filter you like. For this tutorial, I will use Bokeh.

Adjust the slider to change the opacity of the overlay. If you wish to have more control of the chosen overlay, there is an advanced option that you can play around with.

Step 3: Save the image.

Method 2 – Manual Overlay

Another easy way would be to do a manual overlay using the Blend Mode feature.

Step 1: Upload your image.

Step 2: Navigate to the Image Manager.

Click on Upload Image to add your second image.

Step 3: Drag the second image on top of the base image.

Adjust the second image to match the base image.

Step 4: Change the Blend Mode by clicking on Layer Properties button and navigate to the drop down menu.

Try the different blend modes until you get your desired output. For this example I chose the Screen Mode.

Step 5: Save the image.

In Conclusion

The easiest and quickest way to give your photos a unique effect or an extra dimension is to use Overlay.

You can experiment with light leaks, effects that simulate rain or mist, different textures, and a whole lot more. Be careful not to overdo it, otherwise your photos will look campy and amateurish.

The post How to Overlay Images With and Without Photoshop appeared first on Photo to Cartoon – Cartoonize Yourself & Create Avatar Characters for Free.

What is Bokeh?

In this discussion, we will learn how to get bokeh effect in photography. The word bokeh comes from the Japanese dictionary.

It signifies the quality of the out-of-focus effect of your photos and not just the out-of-focus effect itself.

The terms background blur and bokeh are used interchangeably. But as we have just learned, there is a subtle difference between the two. For the sake of this discussion, we will only use the term bokeh and not background blur.

What Lens Is the Best for Shooting Bokeh

It is easy to see bokeh in action when looking at portraits, flower photos, macro photos, or even bird photos with a creamy background and a sharp subject in focus.

In more specific terms, we’re talking about blurry circular shapes appearing in the background of a subject while the subject is in focus.

The lenses perfect for shooting excellent quality bokeh usually come with a wide-open aperture. Anything f/4 or faster (or wider) is ideally suited for creamy bokeh.

In other words, bokeh is controlled by the lens’ ability to produce a shallow depth of field. We discussed shallow depth of field in a previous article.

There is a specific advantage when using a lens with more diaphragm blades. A lens with eight or more diagram blades is likely to produce a better, more circular-looking bokeh than one with a lens that has fewer diaphragm blades.

Another thing to note is that the bokeh quality is better if the lens’ diaphragm blades are rounded. So, the likes of the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM or the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART are great lenses to capture bokeh.

Effects of Aperture and Distance on Bokeh

We have already learned that a wide-open aperture positively impacts bokeh. Wider the aperture, the smoother the bokeh because wide open apertures produce a shallow depth of field.

The second thing that controls the quality of the bokeh is the distance between the camera and the subject as well as the subject and the background. We have discussed these aspects in a previous article on shallow depth of field.

If you leave sufficient space between the subject and the background, you can produce nice bokeh even without a fast aperture.

Also, when using a tele lens you need to leave sufficient space both between the subject and the camera and the subject and the background to produce beautiful bokeh.

How to Get Bokeh Effect – Primary Conditions

To summarize what we have learned thus far, the nicest bokeh happens when all these parameters are fulfilled:

• It would help if you worked with a fast wide-open aperture
• The lens should ideally be a telephoto unit
• The lens has eight or more aperture diaphragm blades
• The aperture diaphragm blades should be rounded
• Do leave sufficient space between the subject and the background

We have already learned which is the best aperture to shoot the nicest bokeh. We also learned that if the aperture diaphragm is composed of 8 or more rounded blades, the bokeh is nicer.

The need for a telephoto lens comes from the fact that you need to leave out space between the subject and the camera. With a telephoto lens, you’re forced to take a few steps back for you to get a decent composition.

You need to leave out space between the subject and the background with it. It won’t matter if you shoot with a telephoto lens and the subject is standing almost the same distance as the background.

Additional Conditions

These conditions are not necessary to be fulfilled for producing bokeh. That said, when they’re fulfilled, they can add to the overall quality.

Textured Background

When you’re trying to get the bokeh effect, make a conscious choice to place the subject against a textured background, such as trees, leaves, twinkling lights, etc.

Avoid placing your subject against a solid textureless background because you won’t get nearly the same bokeh effect you can with a textured background.

Use Color Contrast

Try and incorporate scenes that have contrasting colors appearing naturally in the frame. For example, in this image, there is a lot of contrast in the scene, and the bokeh appears beautiful.

You can also enhance the colors of your image and, in the process, accentuate the bokeh effect using Colorcinch.

There are many tools in Colorcinch that you can use to accentuate your photos. Vibrance, Color, and Exposure are your primary tool tabs.

We don’t recommend the Vibrance slider because it only affects the mid-tones and is therefore unsuitable for our purpose.

We recommend just tweaking the exposure a bit so that the background blur looks better.

The best tool would be the Exposure slider because it allows you to work the Brightness, Contrast, Highlights, and Shadows giving you more creative space to manipulate your photos.

Ok, upload the photo using the Upload option on this page. You don’t have to register for that.

Once the image is ready for edits, navigate to the Exposure tab.

There are four options under the Exposure tab – Brightness, Contrast, Highlights, and Shadows.

We will tweak each of them a bit to fine-tune the image.

The changes are very subtle. Here is a side-by-side comparison of before and after the changes are made.

You perhaps would prefer to use a different approach, and it’s perfectly ok because there is no such thing in photography as the only way to do something.

Concluding Thoughts

As you have just learned, bokeh is about the quality of the background blur you capture with your camera and not just the background blur itself. Some lenses produce horrible background blur, which does not add to the photo. So picking the right equipment is essential.

But it’s not always about picking the right equipment. The answer to how to get bokeh effect in your photography lies more in the technique. So, our final tip is – to get your technique right.

Don’t fret that you don’t have a fast lens or the best camera for low light. Master the basics of exposure to play around with the depth of field, fine-tune your compositions, and only then if you need move on to better equipment.

Till then, keep clicking and keep reviewing your work.

The post A Complete Guide on How to Get Bokeh Effect in Photography appeared first on Photo to Cartoon – Cartoonize Yourself & Create Avatar Characters for Free.