Editing Bokeh (section)

{{short description|Aesthetic quality of blur in the out-of-focus parts of an image}}
{{Other uses}}
{{distinguish| Depth of field}}
{{pp-move}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019|cs1-dates=y}}
[[Image:Josefina with Bokeh.jpg|thumb|Coarse bokeh on a photo shot with an 85&nbsp;mm lens and 70&nbsp;mm [[entrance pupil]] diameter, which corresponds to {{f/}}1.2]]
[[File:Katherine Maher.jpg|thumb|right|An example of a portrait photo (of [[Katherine Maher]]). Note the 'swirly' bokeh.]]
[[File:Aperture_and_bokeh.jpg|thumb|How the bokeh varies with the aperture.]]

In [[photography]], '''bokeh''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|oʊ|k|ə}} {{respell|BOH|kə}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|oʊ|k|eɪ}} {{respell|BOH|kay}};<ref>{{Citation|last=Nikon|title=Bokeh for Beginners|date=2017-03-30|url=https://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/a/tips-and-techniques/bokeh-for-beginners.html|access-date=2019-07-24|archive-date=2019-07-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724152154/https://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/a/tips-and-techniques/bokeh-for-beginners.html|url-status=live}}</ref> {{IPA|ja|boke|lang}}) is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in [[defocus aberration|out-of-focus]] parts of an image, whether foreground or background or both. It is created  by using a wide aperture lens.

Some photographers incorrectly restrict use of the term bokeh to the appearance of bright spots in the out-of-focus area caused by [[Circle of confusion|circles of confusion]].<ref name="Gerry Kopelow 1998 118–119">{{cite book
 | title = How to photograph buildings and interiors
 | edition = 2nd
 | author = Gerry Kopelow
 | publisher = Princeton Architectural Press
 | year = 1998
 | isbn = 978-1-56898-097-3
 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/howtophotographb0000kope/page/118 118]–119
 | url = https://archive.org/details/howtophotographb0000kope
 | url-access = registration
 | quote = bokeh focus.
 }}</ref><ref>
{{cite book
 | title = Hollywood Portraits: Classic Shots and How to Take Them
 | author = Roger Hicks and Christopher Nisperos
 | publisher = Amphoto Books
 | year = 2000
 | isbn = 978-0-8174-4020-6
 | page = 132
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7GfsKp7StwcC&q=bokeh+focus&pg=PA132
 }}</ref><ref>
{{cite book
 | title = Dictionary of Photography and Digital Imaging: The Essential Reference for the Modern Photographer
 | author = Tom Ang
 | publisher = Watson–Guptill
 | isbn = 0-8174-3789-4
 | year = 2002
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fu3akyrFZEMC&q=bokeh+focus&pg=PA45}}</ref> Bokeh has also been defined as "the way the [[lens]] renders out-of-focus points of light".<ref>{{cite web
 | url = http://photojpn.org/words/len.html
 | title = PhotoWords/Lens
 | work = PhotoGuide Japan
 | access-date = 2009-10-30 
 | archive-date = 2018-12-26 
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181226094251/http://photojpn.org/words/len.html
 | url-status = live
 }}</ref> Differences in [[optical aberration|lens aberrations]] and [[aperture]] shape cause very different bokeh effects.<ref name="davis" /> Some lens designs blur the image in a way that is pleasing to the eye, while others produce distracting or unpleasant blurring  ("good" and "bad" bokeh, respectively).<ref name=davis>
{{cite book
 | title = Practical Artistry: Light & Exposure for Digital Photographers
 | author = Harold Davis
 | publisher = O'Reilly Media
 | year = 2008
 | isbn = 978-0-596-52988-8
 | page = 62
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ZkOYrPiIwFIC&q=bokeh+good+bad&pg=PA62
 }}</ref> Photographers may deliberately use a [[shallow focus]] technique to create images with prominent out-of-focus regions, accentuating their lens's bokeh.

Bokeh is often most visible around small background [[Point source#Light|highlights]], such as [[specular reflection]]s and [[list of light sources|light sources]], which is why it is often associated with such areas.<ref name=davis/> However, bokeh is not limited to highlights; blur occurs in all regions of an image which are outside the [[depth of field]].

The opposite of bokeh—an image in which multiple distances are visible and all are in focus—is [[deep focus]].