Quick Guide: How to Use Light Hits in PhotoDirector

Five steps to add a lens flare and save it as a photo, video, or GIF.

Updated Oct. 26, 2026 · 1 min read

Steps

1Pick a flare template

Click one of the 26 templates to add its flare, then drag the flare on the photo to where the light should come from.

Template 05 selected in the Light Hits template list, with the warm flare it adds in the sky at the top right of the photo highlighted

2Adjust the flare

Under 2. Settings, adjust Fade, Softness, Brightness, Contrast, Hue, and Saturation. Use Flip to point the rays the way the light falls.

The Light Hits 2. Settings section, with Fade, Softness, Brightness, Contrast, Hue, Saturation, Flip and Enable template resize highlighted

3Export a photo

For a still photo, click Export at the top of the window, then save the photo with the flare as a PNG, JPG, or TIF file.

The Light Hits window with template 05 on the photo and the Export button at the top highlighted

4Animate the flare

For a moving flare instead, pick a template from 21 to 26. Enable animation effect turns on by itself, so drag the speed slider from Slower toward Faster.

Enable animation effect checked with the speed slider dragged to Faster, and the Background music checkbox, highlighted

5Save a video or GIF

Click Export, choose New Video/GIF File, and pick MPEG-4, WMV, or GIF. For a video, set the aspect ratio, profile, and duration, up to 30 seconds. Then click Produce.