CREATE STARBURST GLOWS IN PHOTOSHOP
Jon is a photographer and writer, and also provides individual and small group tuition in digital SLR and Photoshop skills. jon@jonadamsmedia.co.uk
IF YOU use a small aperture like f/11 or f/16 when you shoot a night scene, you’ll create glowing starburst effects that emanate from point light sources in the frame. Traditionally, this effect is enhanced by using an optical ‘star’ filter over the lens. These come in various types, depending on how many streaks of light you want the light source to create, and they work by having the appropriate pattern etched into the surface of the filter.
The pattern causes the light to reflect and streak along the filter’s etched lines, but the results can look rather artificial, as the etched pattern is uniform. This means that starbursts from distant light sources will be scaled the same as those nearer the camera,
