Learn Photo Editor Tutorials

Lens Flare Effects to Make Your Photos Shine

By Rach DePaoli | Photo Editor Tutorials

One of the greatest things about Photoshop is being able to create completely imaginative scenes as Vanessa Rivera does. But what if you don’t have Photoshop but still want to create some scenes based on fantasy? You often need expensive programs to achieve these kinds of whimsical results. With the right photoshoot and editing effects, you can create fantastical scenes in no time.

With BeFunky’s Photo Editor and Effects, you can create art that is a scene of whimsy. All you need is a photo and an imagination in order to craft your next piece of art. We are going to look at some inspiring examples below in order to kick-start our own art pieces.

Where Imagination Meets Reality

You can use BeFunky’s Lens Flares to create natural-looking effects in your landscape photography or even push the limit to create unique effects that look like a complete fantasy – what we are going to focus on today. When you are ready to turn your photos into something fantastical, open BeFunky’s Photo Editor and choose Lens Flares from the Effects section. In the meantime, check out these examples below if you need some help figuring out where to get started!

Create a Futuristic Sci-Fi Scene

With all the talk about alien species coming to inhabit Earth in the near future, these light flares are just the thing to spruce up your futuristic photography and take it to the next level. Take a look at what the Lens Flare effect looks like when mixed with the Glitch effect. Combining effects with lens flares enhances the story you are trying to tell in your image.

future lens flare

Not only does this enhance the sci-fi effect but if you position the lens flares in the right spot, it looks like the subject is experiencing a glitch from an approaching enemy who is pointing its lights right at them. The subject looks frozen and the lens flare effect makes it feel like they are being overtaken by an enemy ship.

Make a Fairytale Scene More Magical

You can use lens flares to emphasize a certain area of your photo while also adding mystery – it is one of the few effects that can achieve both of these outcomes at the same time. By adding a lens flare to someone's hands or over an object near them, you can portray something very magical taking place.

lens flare magic after
lens flare magic before

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Try adding a blur by using Funky Focus to subtly bring the focus in on your subject and the magic that is taking place around them.

Give a Photoshoot a Cinematic Flare

Anamorphic lens flares add an instant cinematic look to your photos. You can see these happen a lot in Fast and Furious films when the camera tilts down on a front-end shot of their headlights. This is the straight-across light leak as seen in the image below.

lens flare car 2
lens flare car before

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This kind of light leak also works well in dimly lit areas with bright, colorful lights surrounding the effect. 

Add a Cool Factor to Your Sports Photos

Lens flares enhance a photo if you use them right. You want to make sure that you place the lens flares in the right position, according to where the light source is in the original photo. Take a look at this image below. You can see hard shadows on the ground. This means that the sun is high in the sky and casting its harsh light against the subject.

lens flare sport after
lens flare spot before

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Add your lens flare in the same position as the main light source in your image for a more seamless effect. If you want to get even more detailed, layer your lens flares – this photo has three lens flares and there is even one that was added specifically to the helmet to make it look like the sun was bouncing off of it.

Push the Story Forward With Lens Flares

Lens flares should always add to the photo of choice and push a story forward if you can. In this series, you can see that adding a lens flare adds a sense of immediacy to this image. The other cool thing to note is that the position of the flare also gives this image an angelic sense since it is at the top of the image. These two things add a juxtaposition to the character that wouldn’t be there otherwise.

lens flare drama after
lens flare drama before

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Make Imaginations Come to Life with Lens Flares

When you are ready to start creating, head to BeFunky’s Photo Editor to try out these effects above. You don’t need expensive programs in order to create fantastical scenes. All you need is a decent photoshoot and BeFunky’s Effects like Lens Flares!

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