What is a streak filter?
A streak filter is a special effect filter that generates linear lines of light in response to a strong light source, making it a useful tool for creating impressive images.
The glass surface of the filter has lines patterned on it, which creates a flare that matches the color of the lines when photographing a light source, allowing for endless creativity with your camera.
This flare effect recreates the flare that occurs with anamorphic lenses, making it a tool that can add a cinematic feel to your footage.
What is an anamorphic lens?
Anamorphic lenses are a type of specialized lens primarily used in filmmaking and photography, and are widely used in cinematography to create wide angles of view and beautiful bokeh effects. They have different horizontal and vertical scales, and are used to produce wide aspect ratio films and photographs such as CinemaScope and widescreen by compressing wide-angle footage to fit into standard shooting formats.
Anamorphic lenses have a different shape than regular lenses, and this special shape increases the likelihood that light from various angles will interfere with each other inside the lens, causing reflections and scattering. Although flare is often seen as a negative effect, it can be used intentionally as part of creative expression in filmmaking and photography.
Streak filters are genuine, expensive filters that create the creative flare effects produced by such anamorphic lenses. Creates cinema-style flare without the need for anamorphic lenses .
Example of using the streak filter
Let's take a look at an example of a photo taken with the streak filter attached. The photo below shows a car, and from top to bottom, it shows "no filter" which generates blue flares, and "BLUE MORPHOLIC filter" which generates gold flares. This is an example of a photo taken with the "GOLD MORPHIC filter" attached.
No filter
BLUEMORPHIC filter installed
GOLDMORPHIC filter installed
Photos using the streak filter (BlueMorphic/GoldMorphic) create linear flares against the strong light source, the car headlights, adding a stylish and striking effect.
When to use the streak filter
The streak filter is a filter that is used as a temporary weapon, so it cannot be left on all the time.
In situations where there are multiple strong light sources, there is a risk of excessive flare resulting in a cluttered image.
It's difficult to use and requires some skill, but if you can learn to use the streak filter intentionally when you want to create a special effect, there's no doubt that your range of expression will expand greatly.
If you feel that you have reached the limits of existing image creation methods, or are searching for new possibilities for expression, why not give the streak filter a try?
