Anamorphic Lens Flare
Long horizontal light streaks that stretch across the frame from bright sources, a signature of anamorphic cinema lenses. Digital artificial flares became a blockbuster trademark in the late 2000s, notably in J.J. Abrams's Star Trek.
Spot it
- 01Horizontal blue streaks
- 02Oval stretched bokeh
- 03Hazy low-contrast glow
Why it happens
Anamorphic lenses squeeze the image with cylindrical elements, so light scattering inside them forms thin horizontal flares and elongated oval highlights.
Recreate it in Pixio
Image edit prompt“Add anamorphic cinema lens flares to this image: a long razor-thin horizontal cyan-blue streak running across the frame from the brightest light sources, warm orange secondary glints, oval stretched bokeh highlights, slightly lifted milky blacks and a widescreen cinematic haze. Keep the flares believable and not overwhelming. Keep the original subject and composition.”