Adobe Photoshop has over 100 filters in its repertoire, one of which is the Lens Flare. We show you how to use this simple but effective effect in our Photoshop classes.
First select an image with a good tonal range. This can be tweaked by adding a Levels or Curves adjustment layer. And depth of colour may be enhanced by add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. We cover these topics in other blog posts.
Then we go to the Filters drop-down menu and choose Convert for Smart Filters. This will add the effect as a sub-layer which can later be double-clicked to edit, or simply hidden or deleted. If you don’t convert for smart filters the effect will be embedded into the image and can’t be easily undone later.
Then go to Filter > Render > Lens Flare. A small dialog box will appear with a few simple controls, as shown in the screenshot here. Notice that you have several options for camera type, for both still and movie images – try them all out. Unfortunately the preview window is not great, so you may have try one, then Undo (Ctrl+Z) and try another before getting the settings and position right. You can also alter the Brightness value – this is quite a sensitive slider so it’s best not to increase it too much. As with many effects in Photoshop, it’s a matter of trial and error until you get the effect you want.
Many more tips and techniques can be found at the Adobe website. And see many examples of our clients’ work on our Facebook page.
Other related Photoshop Blog Posts:
Photoshop lens flare
Jun21