It allows users to blur the background of photos, focusing on the subject

Jan 10, 2014 20:01 GMT  ·  By

One of the features that Sony’s Xperia Z1s smartphone will arrive on the market with is Background Defocus, which will be exclusive to it for a limited time, though Sony will pack it inside more Xperia handsets in the not too distant future.

The functionality comes as part of Sony’s Smart Social Camera and is meant to allow developers to launch applications that will become part of Sony’s camera experience, XperiaBlog explains.

With Background Defocus, a ‘bokeh’ effect can be created, something that is commonly seen in digital SLRs. Basically, the background is blurred so that the photographer can focus on specific areas of the photo.

The feature works in a pretty simple manner. Two shots are taken, each with a different focus position, and the software will then determine the distance between the subject and the background, then blending the two frames together.

With Background Defocus, one can also adjust the level of blurring, set motion blur, and the like, as the video embedded above, courtesy of Android Central, shows.