Supernova: Using The Lens Flare Filter

It’s one of the coolest filters ever, but applying it to an image can be tricky. Here’s a tip to make it easier.

The Lens Flare filter, which creates the lens flare you get when light hits a camera lens at odd angles, may be my all-time favorite filter. The dialog box doesn’t confuse me with strange labels like Threshold (or have no labels at all, like the confounding Offset filter!). And for little work I can create an awesome-looking flare that seems to belong in the movies. It can really add drama and impact to an image! But there are some downsides: The Lens Flare filter works only on RGB images and, like other filters, the Lens Flare filter alters the pixels so once you use it, there’s no way to tweak the settings.

I like to keep my Photshop compositions editable just in case, so I use this technique to add lens flares without altering the image itself. We’ll practice on Figure 1, which is an RGB image:

Figure 1: Lightning strikes the Buena Vista University seal.

Step 1: Create a new layer using one of the usual methods:

• Press Shift-Cmd-N (PC: Shift-Ctrl-N)
• Select Layer->New->Layer… from the menu
• Select Layer->New->Layer… from the Layers palette flyout menu
• Click the New Layer button on the bottom of the Layers palette

Step 2: Fill the new layer with black, covering your image.

Step 3: Select Filter->Render->Lens Flare… and choose your settings and flare position. In this case I am using a Brightness of 144 and a Lens Type of 50-300 Zoom. I like this lens because it generates more of the light streaks and haloes I associate with a good lens flare, but there are three others including the wicked-looking Movie Prime lens, which I believe was an addition with Photoshop CS or Photoshop 7. As for the lens flare position, you can change it by moving the intersecting lines in the Flare Center preview. The preview box will take on the dimensions of your image to help you judge where to place it.

Step 4: You have your black layer with a lens flare, but how do you apply it to your image? Set your layer mode to Lighten to remove the black and you’ll be left with your lens flare on your (unaltered) image. (See Figure 2).

Figure 2: The black drops out, the lens flare remains!

The problem with this technique is, in the Lens Flare filter’s dialog box, the Flare Center preview shows the black layer but not the image below so you can’t see where you are placing your lens flare. Unfortunately I haven’t found a way around this. I’ve tried knocking the layer’s Fill to zero or setting the layer to Lighten mode beforehand, but the Lens Flare filter still displays the black layer. If anyone knows a way to get around this deficiency, write me at jeremy.schultz@designorati.com or use the feedback form below, and we’ll get the tip posted here at Designorati.com.

If you do create the lens flare, only to find that you didn’t position it where it needed to be, just go back in your History palette or fill the layer with black again and create the lens flare again.

One great benefit of this technique is that, with all the layer modes at your disposal, you have great creative freedom with your lens flare and it can do some dazzling tricks to your image. In Figures 3 through 7 I have set the lens flare layer to other layer modes and created some amazing lighting effects! Check it out!

Figure 3: Using the Screen layer mode….

Figure 4: …Linear Dodge….

Figure 5: …Linear Light….

Figure 6: …Difference….

Figure 7: …and Luminosity!