soft focus

noun

Photography.

1. an image, often created by a special lens, that is recognizable but somewhat blurred or diffused.

Other Word Forms

• soft-focus adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of soft focus¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

A tender city romance about about gentrification and Black melancholy, “Love, Brooklyn” brings together appealing actors and the charms of New York’s ever-changing borough into soft focus.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But, of course, the hosts are selling a far-right agenda with this soft focus framing, as evidenced by their tight relationship with Donald Trump and the rigidly conservative dictates on sexual behavior they prescribe for their audience.

Read more on Salon

And gone is the soft focus, the half-smile and the parted lips from her official portrait last time she was in the White House.

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There could have been a traditional press release, or a statement delivered to the camera, but instead there's a soft focus, cinematic touch to this message.

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The lack of dolly shots, soft focus, back light, etc., gives the proceedings an unexpected intimacy.

Read more on Los Angeles Times