Natural flare

James Paterson demonstrates how to create realistic lens flare effects in Photoshop CC with straight-forward filters and gradient tricks

- James Paterson

THE MISSION

Create lens flare effects with filters and gradients

Time needed 20 minutes

Skill level Intermediate

Kit needed Photoshop CC

Natural lens flare occurs when sunlight – or another source of strong, hard light – directly shines on the front element of a lens. We photographers are often at pains to prevent flare, either by using a lens hood, or shielding the front of the lens with a hand. But the slight softness, specular highlights and colour shifts that are characteristic of lens flare can be great for enhancing the atmosphere of a scene. However, you don’t necessarily need to wait until the sun is in the perfect position in order to create flares. With a few simple skills in Photoshop, we can make our own gorgeous, realistic, flare effects.

Our starting point is the Lens Flare filter in Photoshop. It’s not bad for a simple effect, but the flare it creates tends to look too clean and sharp and it gives a generic result. That being said, it can still be useful as a starting point for further edits, as we can go on to augment the filter to make it look more natural.