Altered reality: Adding lens flare
Years ago I read that this filter effect was actually developed during the production of George Lucas' Star Wars movie because the vision being created by his company, Industrial Light and Magic, was too 'clean'. Adding lens flare, traditionally an optical lens fault, was added to give some of the scenes a higher sense of reality. I was transfixed!
Above: Lens Flare is one of Elements' many hidden gems; you'll find it at: Filter>Render>Lens Flare. Choose a point source for the light and a lens focal length and that's all you need. It works really well on images that have been shot more or less into the sun as this adds to the veracity of the flare.
Left: The original image was shot late in the day, hence the white sky, which makes it a good candidate for this particular filter treatment.
