Adding a Bokeh Light Effect
This simple technique from Corey Barker adds a touch of bokeh to the background of your photos. It’s best for photos with a dark, blank background.
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Related Tags: bokeh
Ken
January 17, 2011 at 3:29 pm
The last two videos done have been terrible. You guys used to do a lot better in the video department
Rick LePage
January 17, 2011 at 3:46 pm
What do you mean, Ken? The techniques?
Bayla
January 20, 2011 at 4:34 am
I agree to a certain extent with Ken. Corey was accidentally clicking all over the place, he accidentally painted on the image, opened a dialog box by mistake, then he had to go back and add a new layer which he forgot to do before using the brush, then changed his mind about the opacity, then about the colour. Didn’t explain for quite a while why he had the ‘marching ants’ selection around the image. I didn’t feel he’d thought out what he was going to do beforehand! Lacked professionalism IMHO.
Sandra
January 22, 2011 at 4:54 pm
I see what you mean. mmmmmm!!!!!!
Bonnie
January 17, 2011 at 4:00 pm
I like that! Very easy. Thanks.
James F
January 18, 2011 at 4:31 pm
I like the technique and think you all do a great job with your videos. I could watch this one without logging in to the site. Thanks for all you do help us in using Elements.
Lynette
January 18, 2011 at 11:48 pm
I am not sure what Ken didn’t like about the video but I used it to improve a photo I recently took of my aunt. I was very happy with the finished product and found Corey’s instructions quite easy to follow. I agree with James, I think all of the videos are of a high standard and very useful. For me the only thing that makes a difference is if it is on a topic of interest to the things I like doing in PSE. Thank you for making these videos for us – they have made a huge impact on how I use PSE.
Ed
January 20, 2011 at 8:48 am
amaturish at best
Lee
April 20, 2011 at 7:02 am
The value of these video lessons is both in content AND in giving us the confidence to “think outside the box”. If you can afford a big-$, small-ƒ-stop lens and have a controlled photo environment, excellent. For the rest of us, these “amateurish” work-arounds are a god-send. Best regards.
Sandra
January 22, 2011 at 5:35 pm
To produce a post production Bokeh effect I find this tutorial very useful, mistakes and all. I have only used Bokeh stock textures with my photos using different blend modes,opacities,adjustment layers and composites to get the Bokeh effects I want so thank you for this tutorial. You can find some great Bokeh stock effects at this site: http://psd.tutsplus.com/articles/web/more-than-620-bokeh-background-textures/
Your video on Textures is useful for using the Bokeh Textures.
Sandra
January 22, 2011 at 5:39 pm
Bokeh Photography: Why I love BOKEH!!!!!
http://www.topdesignmag.com/bokeh-photography-best-100/
Sandra
January 23, 2011 at 12:38 pm
Don’t forget you can get this effect with Bokeh Brushes too!!
http://browse.deviantart.com/resources/?qh=§ion=&q=Bokeh+Brushes
Sandra
January 23, 2011 at 12:50 pm
And lastly……… A simple tutorial for using a photoshop bokeh brush.
http://squidart.wordpress.com/2009/07/27/beautiful-bokeh/
Charlotte
February 14, 2011 at 11:24 am
Corey,
What a cool concept! i love bokeh but it is not always easy to get in certain situations.
Thanks so much for a great tutorial!!
Robert
September 11, 2011 at 8:37 am
This was an easy and fun tutorial. Plus I had never heard the term Bokeh before. Sure, I’ve seen those lights in backgrounds, but I never knew the effect had a name. I used Bokeh on a black and white photo. I like the outcome. And I love responses like Sandra’s above. A click on the link opened my eyes to the wide variety of Bokeh effects out there.
Tracy
February 28, 2012 at 11:00 am
I really liked this tutorial. Very simple and easy to follow. I’d been trying to find a video tutorial on bokeh effects, but all I could find was Photoshop CS, which is very different. Thank you for posting this!!!!
Laura
May 20, 2012 at 5:57 am
I’ve only had photoshop 10 for a few weeks and I’ve followed around 9 tutorials so far just fine… but the way he explains this is not easy to follow. way to fast and hasn’t explained a few things that he has done. I’ll try to do it none the less. but i don’t have high hopes for it, which is annoying because it looks like a cool effect.