Lens Flare Filter

[Cronner]

Hi!
Does anybody know how to create Lens Flare on it's own transparent layer?

So that one could clone stamp it or use Layer Styles, things like that...

 

[iDad]

Create blank layer in center as big as you want add a semi transparent color
Add lens flare (same spot a few times if need be) clone it save it as brush or pattern png I think that will work
On itouch right now so just guessing

 

[SCTRWD]

It is easy. Create black layer. Make Lens Flare: Filter->Render-> Lens Flare...

Now just convert channels to layers.

 

[Cronner]

iDad, thank you, but I wanted just the Lens Flare on it's own layer, not the one mixed with some color, even semi-transparent.

Just the Flare effect and nothing more. So that I could use Layer effects on it, maybe some Hue/Saturation to change colors, Brightness and other things.


SCTRWD, could you explain just what "convert to layers" mean? I really can't follow you...

 

[SCTRWD]

Ok, sorry for my being short on explanations, I'll make up for it right now.

First, just a tiny bit of theory: for any given RGB image in Photoshop we can build exactly the same image, but composed of four layers: the bottom layer - just solid black layer. And above it three solid color layers with Screen blend mode - Red one, Green one and Blue one. For each of these color layers we create the layer mask and fill it with the contents of the corresponding source image channel, that is: on the Red layer mask we paste the source image Red channel, for Green layer mask - source image Green channel, and for Blue layer mask - source image's Blue channel.

This way we can make image where pimary color layers play the role of channels in any image.

In your case we need just that(except for bottom black layer):

Make a new document. Create new layer, fill it with black. Go to Filter->Render->Lens Flare and apply the flare you want.

Now load Red channel as a selection(just press Ctrl-Alt-3) and with the selection active create new Solid Color layer. For it's color choose pure Red - (255,0,0). Turn this layer off.

Load Green channel as a selection(Ctrl-Alt-4) and with the selection active create Solid Color layer with the Green color - (0,255,0). Turn this layer off too.

And, finally, load Blue channel as a selection(Ctrl-Alt-5) and with the selection active create Blue -(0,0,255) Solid Color layer.

Turn on the Red, Green and Blue color layers we just made and set Screen blend mode for each of them.

Select all these three color layers(in old PS - link them) and merge selected(Ctrl-e). For the resulting merged layer again set the Screen blend mode.

The black layer with the Flare filter applied can now be safely trashed we don't need it any more.


So, here we are! You got Lens Flare on it's own layer with transparency.

And yes! You can clone stamp it on any transparent layer in Screen mode and put them flares as many and wherever you want. And you can apply Layer Styles or any adjustments to it. And much more...

 

[Gaussian]

Great explanation SCTRWD, thank you for sharing.

You may also want to try the plugin Knoll Light Factory, I think it has a free trial

 

[Cronner]

SCTRWD, that really works! Just what I wanted. Thank you very much.

 

[CPA]

But does this work in Photoshop Elements?
Because I got a good deal on Elements 10, and I'm doing a lot of research.
Looks like no one uses Photoshop Elements 10.:neutral:

 

[NemesisWorks]

Nice one SCTRWD.. even though I never needed to apply layer styles to lens flares but I'll keep this method in mind as well. What I do is create a nwe layer with black fill , create the lens flare and set the blending mode of the layer to "screen" then I can easily move my lens flare anywhere even though sometimes it needs a bit erasing of sides...

@CPA
Photoshop Elements is just a touch of Photoshop Extended nothing more ...

 

[Tom Mann]

To move the output of the lens flare or similar filters around, I do exactly what Evil suggested, but I'll definitely have to play around with the method suggested by SCTRWD. I can imagine it providing more flexibility / adjust-ability.

For the type of images that I work on, I don't think I've ever once had the need to clone the exact same lens flare in multiple places in one image or on multiple images. Sounds interesting.

Tom M

 

[SCTRWD]

This method can be used in many other ways.

Here we extracted light color components from the black background. But we can also extract color components from the shadows on the white background. Just Invert the image and light turns to dark

Say you have an image of the sunglasses over white background. Sunglasses cast some unique color shadow over the background. The task is to change the background to anything else, some texture, for example. This way you can extract the shadow with its color from the white background and cast it over any new texture

 

[Redcaa]

Sir, that's one flipping great technique!
That bit of theory is really helpful. Thanks