HOW Do I create a chromatic aberration effect In Photoshop?
Maya Jermy replies
Chromatic aberration (distortion), also known as ‘colour fringing’ is a common optical problem, I imagine, often haunting photographers in their sleep. Whether you are a professional or an amateur, you have probably encountered this issue at some point in your career. It occurs when a camera lens fails to bring all colour wavelengths to the same focal plane, or when the wavelengths of colour focus in different positions on the plane. It is caused by a lens dispersion, with different colours of light travelling at different speed while passing through a lens – in effect, producing a blurred image with coloured fringes (a rainbow edge in areas of contrast).
There are two types of chromatic aberration: axial (longitudinal) and transverse (lateral). Without going into too much detail, axial aberration occurs consistently throughout the image, whereas transverse does not occur in the centre and increases towards the edge of the image. There are a few ways to minimise or remove these, for example, with Photoshop.
You may also notice this effect in some movies. Yes, it is there on purpose. It looks much better in motion than on a still, as it actually helps sharpen the picture as opposed to blur an image in photography.
So, if photographers do everything to avoid chromatic aberration in their work because it is deemed ‘incorrect’, why would you want to add it to your 3D render? Because, if used correctly, it can make your image ‘pop’ and look more
realistic. If you are aiming for photorealism in your work, you have to make peace with imperfections and let them be your friend. In my personal opinion, it is a nice little addition to image composition, but it might not look good on everything. It is probably best to keep it to a minimum, so don’t go thinking you should retouch all your work with it for that little extra depth. Be sensible. But, who am I to tell you what to do with your images, right? Instead, let me show you how to, with very little effort, manually achieve this effect in Photoshop.