Anamorphic lens flare
The long horizontal light streak that anamorphic lenses produce across bright highlights, often seen as a blue sci-fi flare.
See it
What it is
An anamorphic lens flare is the long horizontal streak produced when a bright source reflects and scatters through anamorphic lens elements. The streak follows the source across the frame; blue is common because of lens coatings, but anamorphic flares can be amber, white, or other colors. The blue streaks in Star Trek (2009) made the look a pop-culture shorthand for anamorphic cinematography.
Reach for it when a point light should feel painfully bright or a shot needs a glossy science-fiction accent. Headlights, flashlights, stage lamps, and reflections are believable sources. Track the flare to the light and let its brightness respond as the source turns or becomes occluded.
Gotcha: the streak must cross the actual source. A flare floating over a face with no bright origin reads as a sticker, and giving every light the same blue line flattens the shot. Respect foreground occlusion, lens distortion, and the exposure of the plate.
Ask AI for it
Add one motivated anamorphic flare in Adobe After Effects with Video Copilot Optical Flares. Track the flare's Position XY to the practical headlight, use a thin horizontal streak with a pale blue core, and link brightness to the light's visibility so it fades behind foreground objects. Keep lens ghosts faint, match the plate's motion blur and distortion, and do not generate streaks from dim reflections or unrelated highlights.