Lens Flare and Sunlight in AI Product Photos, With Prompts

Lens flare is what a camera records when bright light hits the lens: a streak, a chain of rings, a warm haze, a glow around the edges. In a product photo it does two jobs. It tells the viewer where the light comes from and what time of day it is. It also sets a mood the product borrows: cinematic at night, pure in a misty forest, nostalgic on a beach.

Below are seven light effects on unbranded products and four lifestyle shots with people, all made with Nano Banana Pro, the same model that runs in ReelyArt Studio. Each one comes with what it adds, which products it suits and the full prompt behind the image.

How to describe light to an AI model

A flare appears, and looks real, when the prompt gives it a physical reason. Every prompt in this set does three things:

1. Names the effect in the first line, such as ANAMORPHIC STREAK FLARE. or GOD RAYS., so the model knows what the picture is about before the details arrive.
2. Places the light source relative to the product: "the low sun is directly behind the jar", "shot straight into the low sun", "a car's headlights shine toward the camera".
3. Says what the light does: streaks, rays, ghosts, haze, refraction, glow, sparkle. A named lens backs it up, such as an anamorphic 50mm or a vintage 1970s lens.

Words that ask for the effect itself, like "halo flare" or "sharp sunstar", tend to come back as a graphic laid over the photo. We ran into that on the honey jar below, and the fix was to describe only the sun and what it did to the honey.

Each product prompt ends with a version of the same quality line. It keeps the product sharp while the light does its work:

Professional commercial product photograph: real lens behaviour, true colours, crisp detail on the product, subtle fine grain, no text, no logos, no brand names.

Night and drama

Anamorphic streak flare

An anamorphic lens squeezes the image sideways, so a bright point of light stretches into a long horizontal line, usually blue. It is the look of a movie poster, and it makes a product feel like a premium launch. It suits fragrance, watches, tech and cars, or anything sold with a cinematic tone.

The streak needs a light that faces the camera; in the image above, a car's headlights behind the bottle. Keep the scene dark ("deep blacks") so the line has something to cut through, and frame it wide. The effect crosses the whole frame, so it reads best at 21:9 or 16:9.

ANAMORPHIC STREAK FLARE. A minimal unbranded glass perfume bottle with a heavy clear square body, amber liquid and a matte black cap stands on wet black asphalt on a city street at night, its reflection in a puddle below it. Behind it, out of focus, a car's headlights shine toward the camera and create a long, thin horizontal cyan-blue anamorphic streak flare running across the full width of the frame, with soft oval anamorphic bokeh from distant city lights. Camera at ground level, anamorphic 50mm lens, shallow depth of field, deep blacks, cinematic. Professional commercial product photograph: real lens behaviour, true colours, crisp detail on the bottle, subtle fine grain, no text, no logos, no brand names.

Soft natural light

God rays

God rays, or volumetric light, are sunbeams you can see because they pass through something: mist, dust, smoke or steam. They read as calm, clean and natural, which is why they fit skincare, wellness, organic food and drinks.

The prompt needs both halves: the sun ("volumetric sun rays stream down diagonally through the trees") and the air it travels through ("and the fog"). Without mist in the scene, the rays have nothing to show up in. Let them fall on the product, so it becomes the place the light lands.

GOD RAYS. An unlabelled frosted pale-green glass skincare serum bottle with a dropper cap sits on a moss-covered stone in a misty forest in the early morning. Volumetric sun rays stream down diagonally through the trees and the fog, visible light shafts falling onto the bottle and making the glass glow softly; dew drops on the moss, ferns around the stone. 85mm lens at f/2.8, soft background, calm, pure, natural mood. Professional commercial product photograph: real light behaviour, true colours, crisp detail on the bottle, subtle fine grain, no text, no logos, no brand names.

Backlit glow

Put the sun directly behind something translucent and it lights up from inside. Honey, oil, juice, perfume and wine all glow this way and throw colored light onto the surface in front of them. Backlight says warmth, richness and appetite, and it suits food, drinks and handmade products.

This is the shot where flare words failed. An earlier version asked for a "halo flare" and a "sunstar on the rim", and the light looked pasted on. The prompt that worked says where the sun is and what it does to the honey. It allows only "the natural soft bloom and gentle loss of contrast that a real lens gets" and bans the rest: "no rings, no stars, no graphic flare shapes".

BACKLIT GLOW. A glass jar of golden honey, unlabelled, with a wooden honey dipper resting across its open top, stands on a worn wooden kitchen windowsill in the early morning. The low sun is directly behind the jar outside the window, so the honey glows deep amber from within and throws warm amber light and soft caustic patterns onto the wooden sill in front of it. Around the window there is only the natural soft bloom and gentle loss of contrast that a real lens gets when pointed toward the sun; no rings, no stars, no graphic flare shapes. A few drips of honey on the glass, a linen cloth and a small sprig of rosemary beside it, a kitchen softly out of focus. 85mm lens at f/2.8, natural light, true-to-life warm colours. Honest food product photograph, crisp detail on the jar and honey, subtle fine grain, no text, no logos, no brand names.

Shooting into the sun

Vintage veiling flare

Older lenses with simpler coatings let stray light wash across the whole image. Contrast drops, shadows turn milky, and a warm haze spreads from the sun's side of the frame. It looks like a summer photo from an old album, and it suits summer campaigns, lifestyle brands and fashion accessories.

Name the lens ("a vintage 1970s lens"), point the camera into the sun, and describe the result: lowered contrast, golden haze, a few soft orbs. Keep the products on the side away from the sun, so the veil passes over the sand and the sea while the products stay crisp.

VINTAGE VEILING FLARE. An unbranded cream sunscreen tube with a coral cap and a pair of tortoiseshell sunglasses rest on a woven straw beach bag lying on a striped beach towel on the sand, the sea softly out of focus behind. Shot straight into the late afternoon sun with a vintage 1970s lens: a warm veiling flare washes over the top of the frame, contrast is lowered, a golden haze spreads across the image with a few soft orange orbs. Nostalgic 35mm film look, visible natural grain, slightly faded warm colours. Real commercial product photograph, crisp detail on the products, no text, no logos, no brand names.

Hexagonal ghosts and rainbow arc

Ghosts are reflections that bounce between the glass elements inside a lens. They take the shape of the aperture, often a hexagon, and line up in a chain that runs away from the sun, sometimes with a faint rainbow arc. They look accidental, and that is their value: the image reads like a photo someone took on a real evening. They fit youth brands, music, streetwear and social ads.

Describe the chain and its direction: "cross the frame diagonally from the sun". You cannot place each ghost; in this image one landed on the knuckles right next to the headphones. If one covers the product, generate again.

HEXAGONAL GHOSTS AND RAINBOW ARC. Unbranded over-ear wireless headphones in sage green hang from a young person's hand, only the hand and wrist visible, resting on a skateboard deck propped against a rooftop ledge at sunset. Shot directly into the low sun: a chain of hexagonal ghost reflections and a faint rainbow arc cross the frame diagonally from the sun, warm orange and pink light, city rooftops softly blurred behind. 35mm lens, candid lifestyle feel. Real commercial product photograph: true colours, crisp detail on the headphones, natural skin texture on the hand, subtle fine grain, no text, no logos, no brand names.

Light the product throws

Prism rainbow refraction

Sunlight through cut glass splits into small rainbows that land on whatever is nearby. On a product they feel artful and quiet, the look of an editorial still life. They suit jewelry, watches, cosmetics and anything sold on craft.

Two lessons came out of this one. A first attempt in a dark studio with a hard beam of light looked artificial, while real window light, crumpled linen and a small crystal looked like a moment in a room. Then the prompt below gave rainbows that were too faint, so we ran an edit on that image: a list of everything that stays, and a clear request for what changes.

PRISM RAINBOW REFRACTION. A fine-art still life in a quiet room with morning sunlight. An unbranded minimalist wristwatch with a brushed steel case, a clean white dial and a worn tan leather strap rests casually on crumpled natural linen on a wooden table, next to a small cut-crystal glass object. Real sunlight from a window falls across the table at a low angle; the crystal splits it into soft rainbow streaks and small spectral caustics that land across the linen and partly over the watch dial, with the soft shadow of the window frame on the cloth. Muted, warm, natural palette, gentle contrast, calm and poetic. Shot on a medium format camera, 80mm lens at f/4, shallow depth of field, natural film grain. Real editorial product photograph, true colours, no text, no logos, no brand names on the dial.

The follow-up edit, with the first result attached as the reference:

Edit the reference image. Keep the same room, window, wooden table, crumpled linen, the same watch and the crystal, the same soft morning light, palette and framing. Make the prism effect clearly visible: the sunlight hitting the crystal now casts several vivid spectral rainbow streaks, red through violet, that fall across the linen and one rainbow band that lands diagonally across the white watch dial, plus a few small rainbow flecks on the cloth. The rainbows look like real sunlight refraction, soft-edged but saturated. No text, no logos on the dial.

Hard, bright light

Snow glare and diamond dust

Strong sun on fresh snow gives intense glare, tiny glints across the surface and, on cold days, ice crystals sparkling in the air. The whole frame turns bright and clean, and a strongly colored product stands out against the white. It suits winter campaigns, outdoor gear and electronics with a durability story.

Ask for a "crisp high-key exposure" so the snow stays white instead of gray, and pick a product color that contrasts with it. Here the red speaker carries the whole composition.

SNOW GLARE AND DIAMOND DUST. A compact rugged unbranded bluetooth speaker in bright red with a fabric grille and black rubber end caps sits half-sunk in fresh powder snow in a wide open snowy field at midday. The high winter sun creates intense glare off the snow, sparkling ice crystals (diamond dust) float and glitter in the air, tiny specular glints shimmer across the snow surface, and a few snowflakes rest on top of the speaker. Clear pale blue sky, distant snowy pine trees. Low camera angle close to the snow, 50mm lens, crisp high-key exposure, strong red against white. Professional commercial product photograph: real light behaviour, true colours, crisp detail on the speaker, subtle fine grain, no text, no logos, no brand names.

Light with people

Film halation

Halation is the soft red-orange glow that color film adds around its brightest highlights. Light passes through the film, reflects off the back and spreads into the layer that records red. It adds no shapes to the scene. It makes the light feel warm and analog, like a summer campaign shot on film.

The key phrase is shot on 35mm colour film with subtle film halation around highlights. Two things keep it natural. Name the exact points that should glow (the sun, the glass rims, a mirror glint, white sand), and add "never covering the product" or "nothing heavy". Then give it a real moment: people laughing, moving or using the product, with the sun behind or above them.

FILM HALATION LIFESHOT. A candid moment at a crowded outdoor summer festival in the late afternoon: two friends raise their hands and clink two ice-cold unlabelled glass bottles of sparkling lemonade, pale gold with fine bubbles, cold condensation on the glass and a lemon wedge in each neck. The low sun sits right behind the bottles, so the lemonade glows golden from within. Bracelets, a watch and fabric festival wristbands on their wrists; the crowd below is a warm blur. Shot on 35mm colour film with subtle film halation around highlights: a soft warm red-orange bloom hugging only the brightest edges, around the sun, the glass rims and the lemon, never covering the product. Gentle natural flare, slightly lifted shadows, organic grain, true warm colours. Honest, joyful, real life, like a frame from a global soft drink brand's summer campaign. Real skin texture on the hands. No text, no logos, no labels.

FILM HALATION LIFESHOT. Low-angle shot from close to the sand looking up on a bright sunny beach: two young women friends in their twenties laughing with heads thrown back, wind in their curly hair. One in a mustard-yellow crochet dress holds an open round gold makeup compact toward the camera, its small mirror catching the high sun and throwing a bright glint; the other, in a sky-blue fitted top, laughs beside her. Clear bright blue sky fills the background, the sea and white sand at the bottom edge. 28mm lens, dynamic tilted framing, sun just above them. Shot on 35mm colour film with subtle film halation around highlights: a soft warm red-orange bloom around the sun, the mirror glint and the bright white sand, nothing heavy. Gentle natural flare, organic grain, vivid true colours. Joyful, real-life summer moment like a global beauty brand campaign, real skin texture. No text, no logos, no brand names on the compact.

The compact came back square although the prompt asks for a round one. Small product details like shape can drift when the prompt is busy with light and people, so check them before you use the image.

Backlit sun flare

With the sun just behind a person, you get rim light on the hair and shoulders, a soft veil across the frame and sometimes a ghost or a rainbow streak. It is a standard look for swimwear, eyewear, resort travel and summer drinks.

BACKLIT SUN FLARE, luxury swimwear editorial. A young East Asian swimwear model in her early twenties, long dark hair wet at the ends and moving in the sea breeze. She wears an ivory bikini with thin gold rings under a sheer white silk shirt slipping off her shoulders, gold hoop earrings, and holds a pair of unbranded oversized sunglasses. She leans back against the chrome railing on the teak deck of a white luxury yacht at sunset, looking out over the sea, not at the camera. The sky is a soft gradient of turquoise and pastel pink, the sea mirrors it, and the low sun sits just behind her shoulder, giving a gentle warm rim light on her hair and skin and a soft, real lens flare with light haze and one faint ghost reflection. Slightly low angle from the deck, 50mm lens, close. Shot on 35mm colour film with subtle film halation around highlights, pastel turquoise-and-pink tones, organic grain, real skin texture. Luxury resort campaign. No text, no logos, no brand names.

BACKLIT SUN FLARE, summer fashion editorial. A young East Asian model in her early twenties, wet-look dark hair slicked back. She wears a cream crochet halter top and a flowing white linen maxi skirt, gold bangles, and holds an ice-cold unbranded aluminium soda can with condensation. She leans against the railing on the deck of a sailboat at sunset, looking out at the sea, not at the camera, wind in her hair. The low sun is directly behind her over the water, so her silhouette is rimmed with bright warm light, the sea glitters, and a real lens flare spills across the frame with a warm veil and a soft rainbow streak. Low angle from the deck, 50mm lens, close. Shot on 35mm colour film with subtle film halation around highlights, golden tones, organic grain, real skin texture. Summer campaign. No text, no logos, no brand names.

On the sailboat, the prompt asks for the sun "directly behind her" and a silhouette rimmed with light. The model put the sun off to the side over the water and kept her face lit. That works for a campaign, but it is not a silhouette. If you want one, say so directly: try "her face in shadow, exposure set for the bright sky".

Which light for which product

Product	Start with	What it adds
Fragrance, watches, tech	Anamorphic streak	Cinematic, premium
Skincare, wellness, organic	God rays	Pure, calm, natural
Food, drinks, oils	Backlit glow	Warm, rich, appetizing
Summer and beach products	Vintage veiling flare	Nostalgic, relaxed
Youth, music, streetwear	Hexagonal ghosts	Candid, real
Jewelry, watches, cosmetics	Prism rainbows	Artful, quiet luxury
Winter and outdoor gear	Snow glare	Clean, crisp, durable
Lifestyle shots with people	Film halation or backlit flare	Warm, analog, campaign feel

What holds for every light effect

• Keep the product out of the light's path. Flare lowers contrast wherever it falls, so put the sun behind or beside the product and keep "crisp detail on the product" in the prompt.
• Low sun makes the most flare. Early morning, late afternoon and sunset put the sun close to the lens's line of sight.
• One effect per image. Streaks, ghosts, rays and halation stacked together read as a filter.
• Ban what you do not want. "No rings, no stars, no graphic flare shapes" did as much for the honey jar as the description of the light.
• Keep labels off. "No text, no logos, no brand names" stops the model from inventing labels on unbranded products.

Running these prompts in ReelyArt Studio

Every image here is text-to-image, made without reference images at 4K with Nano Banana Pro. In Studio it runs on paid plans at 4 credits for 1K, 5 for 2K and 8 for 4K. Studio offers it at 1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 4:3 and 3:4, so use 16:9 for the anamorphic shot and 3:4 for the 4:5 frames. Nano Banana 2 runs the same prompts free at 1K and 2K; expect the details to differ.

To put your own product into one of these scenes, attach its photo as a reference and replace the product description in the prompt. The summer campaign prompts show that workflow with reference images, and the camera angles guide covers where to put the camera once the light is right.