Is there something like optical flares but free?

[Sebastian Vallin]

Yes! You can use the flare under the Generate menu, but it looks like crap. Since I can’t afford Optical Flares, I made this: https://www.sendspace.com/file/nnpilv It’s a free download, and it looks great. Plus, you can move it in 3D space.

[Noel Powell]

There is an After Effects template (not a plugin) which is very user-friendly and can create really high-quality lens flare effects using expressions. It’s called Creation Lens Flares from Creation Effects. Not free, but it’s a lot cheaper than the plugins. You can see a demo video on their site: CreationEffects.com