Filters for Special Effects
Have you seen picture ads in magazines that look so nice that they
don't look real at all? Some of them have been edited using photo
editing software. But, definitely, most of them have been taken using a
camera with a special kind of filter.
There are a wide variety of filters to choose from when adding to your
camera equipment. There are filters for either color or black-and-white
shots or both. Each filter has its own function, whether it be for
enhancing the color contrast, improving sharpness, highlight flares and
more. And there are filters for special effects like those photos
normally seen in magazines and advertisements.
Here are some examples of filters that can be used to enhance the image
by adding special effects to them.
Star and Cross Effect Filters
There are different star effect flares available such as Star-Six and
Star-Eight. The Star-Six has six-pointed light flares, while Star-Eight
has eight-pointed flares. These flares add more brightness to images.
This filter is good when taking pictures of streetlights, theme-parks
during the night or sun-reflections on glass structures.
A cross screen filter is similar to star filters except that the flare
is four-cross. It also gives a dramatic effect to bright points in the
image. It is ideal for taking photos of ladies wearing jewelry.
Spectral cross filter produces cross effects as well as soft-focus
effects normally desired for portraits, outdoor shots with direct
lighting or back lighting with increased cross effects. It is a filter
with two transparent and colorless optical glass in a rotating frame
with a black gauze-like fiber in between.
Vario cross filter gives an effect of four rays of light coming out
from each light source point. It is a filter consisting of two glasses
with parallel lines etched on each glass. The front glass can be
rotated separately to modify the angle of the light rays.
Close-up Filters
As the name implies, these filters are for close-up photography which
are better than zooms. These filters are available in +1, +2, +3, +4,
and +10 diopters with the higher number giving a much closer shot.
Macro close-up filters are good for taking shots of small insects,
flowers and other tiny objects at close-up. It has a +10 diopter rating
with a 2-element, 2-group construction lens.
Split field filter takes a close-up shot of half of the image while the
other half is normal. This is used for keeping in focus both close and
far objects at the same time.
Multivision Filters
To create a fantastic effect of repeating an object in a single photo,
multivision filters are used. These are available in 3PF, 3F, 5F, 6F,
and 6PF where the number determines the number of times the object will
be repeated. It works great with dark backgrounds or larger objects.
Multivision filters are made up of optical glass accurately cut into
different facets. Color multivision filters add different colors to the
image. There are two types available – 3F with three faces in red,
green and blue, and 5F with five faces equally divided into orange and
green colors.
Misty Spot Filters
This type of filters provides a blurring effect of the background of a
clear and sharp central image. There are four types of these kind
available.
A breezing filter gives unidirectional streaks of the blurred
background. Gradual filter has streaks that seem to originate from the
center image. The windmill filter has a blurring background that swirls
about the center. The halo filter has blurring streaks that originate
from a point at the edge of the field.
Diffusion Filters
Diffusion filters provide a soft focus effect on the image due to an
irregular or uneven surface. This kind of filter is specifically used
for portraits.
Center Spot Filters
The center of this filter has a clear spot that gives the center image
a clear and sharp effect, while the background can have an effect of
fog to make it romantic.
These are just some of the special effects filters available for
professional and amateur photographers alike. It surely is nice to add
even just one or two to your collection with the fabulous effects that
it can provide on your shots.
