CINEFLARES PRO Subscription Launched – Exclusive 20% Discount for CineD Readers

by Jose PradaApril 30^th, 2024

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Markus Förderer, ASC, just launched the Pro version of CINEFLARES, the most comprehensive lens flare library in the world. We were at NAB 2024 and looked at the new release. 

Two weeks ago, we talked with Markus in our podcast about different topics – he told us about his latest work in the Apple TV series ‘Constellation’, about CINEFLARES, etc. Now, we talked about the new update of his project, CINEFLARES Pro.

Beauty in imperfection

As cameras get more advanced and similar every day, filmmakers try to create character using different lenses that give the final image a unique aspect. In this regard, a project like CINEFLARES helps determine which kind of look would suit a project. 

Although lens flares are, in reality, produced by a lens imperfection and happen like a design accident, cinematographers and filmmakers use them as an aesthetic tool to convey different feelings to an image. A library like CINEFLARES is almost a requirement if we want to have information about a particular lens and its characteristics over an image without the need to buy or rent it.

CINEFLARES Pro, a complete lens library

As we wrote in a previous article, Markus started this project years ago when he captured lens tests with motion control. Over the years, that became a massive library, and CINEFLARES is where users can check all the differences between lenses when flaring against a light source. 

In CINEFLARES, you select the desired lens and the T-stop and compare the flare with any other lens, which helps communicate to the director the effect it will produce. The Pro version offers more features than the beta version, a more extensive library, and a monthly update with fresh information. We can also save our selection of lenses and generate a PDF, browse by different categories (focal length, spherical or anamorphic, etc.), and compare effects against other lenses. 

Markus told us that adding new lenses is very time-consuming since they do it under a controlled environment with motion capture, so it takes time to see the new add-ons in the system( but it’s gradually growing as the catalog gets bigger.) 

While all the lenses are filmed with a black neutral background, the idea is to add real-world situations like day, night, a desert, etc., that will be recorded in clean plates to show how lenses react in real scenarios. This option will be added soon to the platform. 

Price and availability 

CINEFLARES offers a free version that gives users a smaller selection of lenses to play with, while the Pro version offers the full features and catalog with a monthly subscription of $5. You can visit the library by following this link. An exclusive CineD special offer for NAB is valid until May 20 using coupon code CINED2024.

What do you think about CINEFLARES? Would you use it to prepare for your next project? Let us know in the comments below!