The elements of light.

The Current Flare list shows all of the light elements currently added to your Photoshop lighting effect. From this starting point, you can add, modify, reorder or delete these elements to create your own lighting effects. Most often, you will probably start with another premade combination of elements from the Preset list.

How to make a flare.

Light elements are basically Lens ‘primitives’. These are the 19 different elements that occur when photographing lights and bright objects. Use these as building blocks to construct Photoshop lighting effects in Knoll Light Factory.

The best way to really understand each element is to experiment with its settings. Following is a description of three of the 19 light elements.

On the right view the parameters that design a light element.

Element: Glow Ball.

The basic primitive used in most flares and lighting effects. Its glow represents the overexposure and light scattering that a bright light source creates when focused through a lens onto an image plane.

Element: Photon Spike Ball.

As the name implies, this lighting effect generates a 'Photon torpedo' effect as seen in several of the science fiction films that John Knoll has worked on over the years. It creates a light burst effect but shooting a number of rays out from center.

Element: Chroma Hoop.

This creates a circle of rainbow lines that streak through the center of the light source. This type of effect is frequently seen on film shot in Super35 format. Adjusting the parameters can result in a thin slice of color or a massive burst of streaks resembling an oriental fan.