- Sans Serif
382
- Calligraphy
49
- Display
535
- Bold
332
- Script
165
- Serif
287
- Retro
- Graffiti
66
- Y2K
67
- Elegant
- Western
74
- Gothic
74
- Futuristic
97
- Bubble
- Playful
162
- Art Deco
52
- Wedding
102
- Sports
60
- Brush
137
- Pixel
90
- Groovy
69
- Signature
88
- Cartoon
91
- Medieval
- Typewriter
54
- Blackletter
- Marker
81
- Grunge
- Monoline
51
- Handwriting
299
Burn Effects Photoshop
Burn effects reproduce light reaching film outside the exposure, producing orange and white blooms that enter from the frame edge. Our collection covers film burns, softer light leaks, sprocket-side edge fogging, prism and rainbow leaks, scorched paper with charred edges, and composited flame elements.
Burn effects: light leaks, film burns and scorched paper
Burn effects reproduce what happens when light reaches photographic film outside the intended exposure. Stray light entering through a worn camera seal, a loose film door or the exposed end of a roll fogs the emulsion, producing bright orange, red and white blooms across the frame. The leaked light follows the geometry of the camera body, not the scene, which is why these marks enter from edges and corners instead of from anywhere inside the image.
The color comes from the film itself. Light reaching unexposed emulsion saturates the orange and red layers first, which is why burns and leaks consistently fall in that range regardless of what the camera was pointed at.
A smaller part of the collection covers physical burning: scorched paper edges, cigarette burns and holes with darkened rims. This is damage to a printed object instead of to the exposure, and it behaves differently, with charring concentrated at the edge of the hole and the paper curling as it burns.
Types in this collection
- Film burns: intense orange and white blooms spreading from the frame edge.
- Light leaks: softer warm fogging across part of the image.
- Frame edge leaks: light entering along the sprocket side of the film.
- Prism and rainbow leaks: spectral color from light refracted before reaching the emulsion.
- Burnt paper: charred edges, holes and scorch marks on printed sheets.
- Flame overlays: fire elements composited into the frame.
Applying burns correctly
Screen and Lighten are the correct blend modes, because the effect adds light and never removes it. Multiply does the opposite of what a real burn does. Keeping the burn on its own layer in Screen also allows it to be repositioned freely over the frame.
Entry point determines believability. Leaks should start at an edge or corner with their strongest point there, falling off toward the center. A leak originating in the middle of a frame has no physical explanation and reads as an overlay.
Scorched paper effects need the damage to interact with the image. Charring should darken the surrounding area progressively, and any text or imagery crossing the burnt region should be interrupted by it instead of sitting on top.
Where burn effects are used
- Music artwork: covers referencing analog photography.
- Film and festival posters: particularly period and documentary subjects.
- Travel and lifestyle content: images positioned as shot on film.
- Wedding photography: warm leaks applied as an atmospheric treatment.
- Thriller and horror promotion: scorched and damaged document imagery.
A film burn reproduces what happens when light reaches photographic film outside the exposure: bright orange, red, and white blooms spreading across the frame, usually from the edge. It was a common fault at the start and end of a roll.
Light leaks occur when stray light enters through a worn camera seal, a loose film door, or the end of a roll exposed while loading. The leaked light fogs the emulsion unevenly, producing warm streaks and patches that follow the camera body, not the scene.
Screen and Lighten work best, since the effect only adds light and never darkens. Multiply will do the opposite of what a real burn does. Keeping the burn on its own layer in Screen also allows free repositioning over the frame.
From an edge or corner, because that is where light physically reaches the film. Leaks starting in the middle of a frame look applied. The strongest point should sit at the edge and fall off toward the center.
Yes, a smaller part of the collection covers scorched and singed paper: charred edges, cigarette burns, and holes with darkened rims. These are physical damage to a printed sheet, where film burns are damage to the exposure itself.
They appear in music artwork, film and festival posters, nostalgic photography, travel and lifestyle content, and anywhere an image should read as shot on film instead of captured digitally.