Light Effects

Fake Sun Rays That Don't Look Fake: A Photoshop Trick Worth Stealing
Video Tutorials

Fake Sun Rays That Don't Look Fake: A Photoshop Trick Worth Stealing

There’s a specific kind of frustration that comes from knowing a photo is almost great. You’ve got the composition, the moment, the light is doing something interesting in the background, and then you look closer and realize the sun is just sitting there like a flat white circle, not actually contributing anything. I’ve been in that situation with client work more times than I want to admit, staring at a landscape shot and wishing I could pull just a little more drama out of it.

How to Add Cinematic Light Blur Effects to Portraits Without Destroying Your Original Image
Video Tutorials

How to Add Cinematic Light Blur Effects to Portraits Without Destroying Your Original Image

There’s a specific kind of composite that shows up constantly in editorial photography, album covers, and high-end portrait work. The subject is sharp, the background is this gorgeous smear of color and light, and the whole thing feels cinematic without trying too hard. For a long time I was faking that look with Gaussian Blur and hoping nobody noticed. It always looked a little flat, a little lazy. Then I watched this PHLEARN tutorial and realized I’d been ignoring one of Photoshop’s most underrated tools.