How to Create Light Leaks in PhotoDirector

Light leak happens when there is a gap or hole in the camera body which should normally be a tightly enclosed chamber. The sensor then is exposed to extra light and the light defuses itself into the image and generates unpredictable colors, washes, light, shadows, lines and flares.

Technically, light leak is an error that usually happens in film cameras, especially the plastic toy cameras (such as Holga) that don’t have a great seal. But the trend to create the retro film look in digital photography is popular today and creating an “accidental” light leak simply adds character to the photo.

In this tutorial, we will only apply a couple of gradient brush to create the light leak effect. First, we will apply the first gradient mask on the side to brighten up the base. The adjustments are:

- Exposure: 1.12

- Bright: 24

- Contrast: -18

- Clarity: -58

The 2^nd gradient mask is to add a tint of yellow:

- Temperature: 20

- Tint: 76

3^rd mask add orange, pink tint but at a different angle:
- Temperature: 60
- Tint: 36
- Saturation: 52

The last mask add more warmth and to cover a larger area
- Temperature: 100
- Tint: 100
- Saturation: 52

The gradient mask are applied in different angles and using different colors to create a simulated light leak.You can add as many layers until you reach a preferred result. You can always adjust each mask separately anytime.

Aside from gradient mask, uou can also use the paint brush to create the light effect.

The final image:

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