How to add sun flare to a photo online — free, no app

Open PixMojo's Sun Flare tool, drop any phone photo, pick a flare preset (Corner Flare, Top Bloom, Summer Rays, or Magic Hour), and download. Real lens-flare optics — radial bloom, sunbeam streaks, warm color cast, secondary chromatic ring — applied in seconds. Free, browser only, no signup.

The 5 steps

Open the Sun Flare tool

Go to pixmojo.app/sun-flare. Loads instantly — no AI, no upload. The flare is rendered with HTML5 canvas radial gradients and rotated streaks.

Upload your photo

Drag a photo. JPG, PNG, WEBP, HEIC, up to 20 megabytes. Preview shows your photo with default Corner Flare — classic top-right flare with sunbeam streaks.

Pick a flare preset

Four presets. Corner Flare — classic top-right placement, balanced streaks. Top Bloom — soft overhead bloom, gentler warm wash. Summer Rays — bright streaks, hot-day mood. Magic Hour — soft large flare, golden glow.

Check the position

Each preset places the flare at a different point. Corner Flare goes top-right. Top Bloom centers overhead. Summer Rays is mid-right. Magic Hour offsets slightly. Pick the preset whose flare position complements your subject — flare should fall in empty sky or background, not on the subject's face.

Download

Hit Download. File saves as PixMojo.app-yourphoto-sun-flare-corner-flare.png at full resolution. Pin it. Share it.

What makes a sun flare look real, not pasted on

Radial bloom that fades correctly. Real lens flare has a hot center, mid-warm ring, and soft falloff to transparent. PixMojo presets use 4-stop gradients for the falloff.
Streaks that match the bloom rotation. Sunbeam streaks radiate from the flare center at irregular angles. Too regular and it looks like a sticker.
Secondary chromatic ring. Real lenses produce a small ghost ring at the opposite point of the frame — pink-blue shifted. PixMojo includes this small detail because removing it is what makes overlay flares look fake.

Best photos for sun flare

Backlit beach shots — silhouette against ocean, flare fills in the highlight.
Golden-hour street photography — flare from a sliver between buildings.
Outdoor portraits with the sun behind — flare in the corner amplifies rim light on hair.

Stack with Golden Hour for the full summer-magazine feel

Apply Golden Hour first (warm color cast, soft vignette), then Sun Flare on top of the export (Magic Hour preset is gentlest). The combined result reads as actual analog summer photography — the kind of frame Aritzia or Madewell would put on a campaign page. Two minutes total.

Frequently asked

Why does my photo look fake when I add a sun flare?

Two common reasons: flare hitting the subject directly (flare should fall in background or empty sky for realism), or flare added to a flat overcast photo with no actual highlights to amplify. PixMojo's Sun Flare presets are tuned to feel like real lens optics — radial bloom + streaks + secondary ring — not just an overlay sticker.

Is this real lens flare or just an overlay?

It's rendered with real-optics math: radial gradient for the main bloom, rotated triangular gradients for the sunbeam streaks, and a secondary smaller ring at the opposite point for chromatic aberration. The result reads as actual lens flare, not a sticker.

Best photos for sun flare?

Backlit outdoor shots — subject in front of light source. Beach photos, hiking shots, golden-hour street photography, picnics. The flare amplifies an existing highlight. It doesn't work on photos with no highlights, like an overcast indoor shot.

Should I use this with Golden Hour?

They stack beautifully. Apply Golden Hour first for the warm color and vignette, then layer Sun Flare for the bloom and streaks. Result: peak summer-magazine feel. Some sub-pixel banding may appear if you stack too aggressively — try Magic Hour preset for Sun Flare to keep it subtle.

Does my photo get uploaded?

No. Sun Flare runs entirely in your browser using HTML5 canvas. Your photo never leaves your device. We have no servers.

Can I print this?

Yes. Full-resolution PNG output. Sun flare prints especially well on matte paper at 5x7 or 8x10 — the bloom softens slightly and reads as real lens optics.