VFX Real Lens Flares
Maxon’s VFX Real Lens Flares is a procedural lens flare plug-in for Adobe After Effects that generates realistic lens flares based on the design of real cinematic lenses. The render engine takes the geometry of the lens’ physical designs, models how light passes through the glass, and simulates a lens flare based on a specified light source.
This is a major evolution from how flares were previously computed as 2D primitives. By tracing rays of simulated light, Real Lens Flares can generate flares that move, morph, and merge as the light source shifts across the screen. Because all elements of the flare are derived from this real-world model, you can create great variety from a single preset by adjusting real-world controls like the lens’s F-stop, or the size of the light source.
VFX Real Lens Flares offers a Designer interface for selecting presets and customizing the appearance of the flares, as well as contextual control via the Effects Control Panel (ECP). In practice, you’ll likely use the ECP to control how flares interact with your finished composite. For choosing from our collection of built-in presets, and fine-tuning the results (down to the optical coating on each virtual lens element), the Designer interface offers greater granularity and control.
Real Lens Flares is an exciting new step toward rendered lens flares that are indistinguishable from the real thing. We hope that it inspires you to find more opportunities to use lens flares in your shots.