Each month this year we’ve been adding a new content pack for Essentials and Pro members. It’s our way of saying thanks for being a power user. For August, we have a pack that is seasonal in its look: Solaris. This new overlay pack will make your photos look like they’ve been decimated by the dog days of summer.
The 20 overlays in the Solaris pack are all about adding hazy, wavy, shimmery looks to your photos that suggest sunstroke and solar flares. They’ll add a dried out, light-leaked, and overheated spin to your images that can be pretty subtle or pretty overbearing — depending on how you use them. As with all overlays, you can dial back the opacity to lessen the effect, and you can always add an effect twice if you just aren’t getting enough out of 100%. As with most overlay packs, some of the effects work best on lighter images, and some only really make themselves known on very dark images. Your photos exist on a spectrum of light and color, and the only way to really know how it will look is to give it a shot. Sign in to your account, and you’ll find Solaris in both overlay pack in both Pixlr for iOS and Android and Pixlr Desktop.
We made a few images with these overlays to give you an idea of what they look like. Some of the overlays add a slight pattern that is almost canvas- or netting-like in its look. Some of them add leaks of sunlight coming in from the sides or corners:
Some of the Solaris overlays work best with darker images and give the look of a shimmering mirage:
Some of them add a bokeh-like textures or even a faint look of dried-out roses:
This week’s challenge: #pixlr #solaris
When we release a new pack for our members, we find that it’s the perfect theme for a challenge. Edit your images and tag them with both hashtags #pixlr #solaris on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, etc. If you’re not an Essentials or Pro member, you can sign up for an Essentials account for free, which will give you access to this pack and all the others we’ve released this year. We’ll scour the Internet looking for the best images — which can be about anything, really — and share them on our social media channels.