How to Use Instagram’s New Portrait Mode
” Portrait Mode ” has been around since Apple released the iPhone 7 Plus, and bokeh photography has been around long before that. Most high-end smartphones nowadays come with some kind of background blur camera mode. Today, Instagram is active.
The Facebook-owned company announced the new Focus setting on Tuesday as part of the latest app update (version 39.0). It works on iPhone SE, 6S, 6S Plus, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus and X, as well as “select Android devices”.
Once the feature is on your phone, it’s easy to access. Open the app and swipe left to open the camera. Then scroll through the options at the bottom of the screen until you find Focus (it’s between Boomerang and Superzoom).
With this new mode selected, all you have to do is point the camera at someone’s face and the background is automatically blurred. Take a photo (or video) and share it in your story, send it to a friend, or save it for later.
The real question is whether Instagram’s Focus mode is better than the portrait mode that’s built into your current smartphone. To find out for myself, I hired my neighbor and his new puppy, Daphne.
Here are two photos of Daphne in Instagram Focus Mode and Apple’s Portrait Mode (both shot on an iPhone 8) for you to judge for yourself.
The two photos look very similar overall, but there are a few notable differences. I think that, in this case at least, Instagram has really done a better job of blurring the background so that my neighbor’s puppy really stands out. However, the iPhone Camera app took a better photo of a real subject.
I wouldn’t rule out Instagram’s Focus mode as a decent option, and it works on some older iPhones that don’t support Apple’s portrait mode. However, if you’re more concerned with photo quality, you’re probably better off sticking with the stock Camera app.
Updated on Apr 12, 2:12 pm ET: Updated with sample Instagram Focus photos and Apple iPhone portrait mode.