Sunstar Editing Tutorial: Make Starbursts Pop Cleanly
By Max Rive Photography | Published: 2026-10-19
Category: How-to Guides
Learn how to create clean sunstars in Photoshop: remove lens flare, restore color, and make starbursts pop naturally in landscape photos.
Quick Answer
To make sunstars pop cleanly in Photoshop, start by removing lens flare and restoring true colors, then enhance the starburst with targeted contrast and clarity adjustments.
Why a clean sunstar edit matters
Shooting into the sun often introduces lens flare and washed-out colors, which can dull the starburst effect. Cleaning up these issues first lets the sunstar stand out without looking artificial or messy.
A clean sunstar edit keeps the scene natural while emphasizing the sun’s rays, so the final image feels dramatic but believable.
Trade-off: clarity vs. halos
Boosting clarity and contrast around the sunstar makes the rays pop, but too much can create halos or harsh edges. Work with a mask or brush to apply the effect only to the sunstar area, not the whole sky.
This targeted approach preserves the rest of the image and avoids the over-processed look that can come from global adjustments.
Clean Sunstar Editing Steps
- Remove lens flare first: Use the Spot Healing Brush or Clone Stamp to remove visible lens flare from the sky and around the sun. Checkpoint: Zoom to 100% to confirm no flare remnants remain.
- Restore true colors: Open a Curves or Levels adjustment layer and correct the color cast caused by the sun. Target neutral whites and grays in the sky. Checkpoint: Compare before/after to ensure the sky looks natural, not overly warm or cool.
- Enhance the starburst: Apply a Clarity or Contrast adjustment, then mask it to affect only the sunstar and its immediate rays. Increase clarity moderately to make the rays pop without creating halos. Checkpoint: Check edges for halos and reduce opacity if needed. If the sunstar still looks flat, try a second pass with a smaller brush on the mask for extra precision.
Tools That Help
- Photoshop Sunstar and Starburst Editing Tutorial: This Photoshop tutorial demonstrates unique techniques for removing lens flare, restoring colors, and creating a sunstar effect when shooting into the sun. It gives you a structured method to achieve a clean, natural-looking starburst without guessing at the editing steps.
Photoshop Sunstar and Starburst Editing Tutorial
