Lens flare

The spatial distribution of the lens flare typically manifests as several starbursts, rings, or circles in a row across the image or view.

Such internal scattering is also present in the human eye, and manifests in an unwanted veiling glare most obvious when viewing very bright lights or highly reflective surfaces.

[1] Lens flare was one of the first special effects developed for computer graphics because it can be imitated using relatively simple means.

Basic flare-like effects, for instance in video games, can be obtained by drawing starburst, ring, and disc textures over the image and moving them as the location of the light source changes.

"[5] In contrast, the low-budget independent film Easy Rider (1969) contains numerous incidental lens flares that resulted from Harrison Arnold's need to modify a camera car for his Arriflex as he shot motorcycle footage against landscapes of the Southwestern United States.

[6] David Boyd, the director of photography of the sci-fi Firefly series, desired this style's evocation of 1970s television so much that he sent back cutting-edge lenses that reduced lens flare in exchange for cheaper ones.

[7][verification needed] The use of photographic filters can cause flare, particularly ghosts of bright lights (under central inversion).

Unlike true lens flare, this artifact is not visible in the eyepiece of a digital SLR camera, making it more difficult to avoid.