Get Halobloom

Every flaw of light, under your control.

Built like a darkroom, not a filter pack.

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Try it: tick an effect, drag a slider or roll the dice. The demo shows one effect at a time; in Photoshop you can stack them.

Halobloom is a Photoshop plugin with a wide range of photographic and creative effects, built to hold up on real photographs.

Every effect is modeled on how light actually misbehaves: glass bends it, film burns it, old lenses leak it. The result reads as optics, not overlays.

Activate Lens Blur, pick an aperture, click the preview to set the point of focus, and the blur follows the real depth of the scene, estimated by an AI model that runs on your own computer. Your photos are never uploaded. Five vintage lens looks, inspired by classic portrait lenses, add swirling bokeh, soap-bubble rings, soft glow, tilted focus and a petzval vortex.

It lives in one panel inside Photoshop, works non-destructively on a duplicated layer, and stays fast enough to iterate on full-resolution files while you work.

Lots of curated presets, plus your own saved looks.

The effects

Photographic FX

  • Anamorphic StreakHorizontal light streaks and flares from bright highlights, the signature of cinema anamorphic lenses.
  • BloomA soft glow around bright areas that keeps every light's core sharp and its own colour.
  • Chromatic AberrationColour fringing at the edges, like a vintage lens. Choose which colour channels split and click the preview to set the centre.
  • Film BurnsWarm, light-struck burns creeping in from the frame edges, like overexposed film.
  • Film GrainGrain modeled on real film stocks, from fine 35mm to 16mm and Super 8, in colour or black and white.
  • Film LooksColour grades inspired by classic film stocks, with a mix slider and previous and next arrows to flick through.
  • HalationThe red-orange glow that bleeds around highlights on cinema film.
  • Lens BlurA camera simulation: choose an aperture, click to set focus, and the blur follows the real depth of the scene. Includes five vintage lens looks.
  • Lens DistortionClassic barrel and pincushion, a true fisheye with lens stops, or a mirrored little planet.
  • Light LeaksColoured light spilling into the frame, as if the film back wasn't sealed.
  • Old PhotoAges the picture like a print, from lightly faded to a damaged archive, with sepia or black and white and borders.
  • VignetteDarkens the edges to draw the eye inward, with size and feather controls.

Creative FX

  • Duotone / TritoneRecolours the photo with two or three tones. Can also shift hue with distance.
  • Glass StreakA band of frosted glass laid over the photo, bending the light behind it. Can follow the scene's depth.
  • GlitchDigital breakup: shifted colour channels and torn slices.
  • GrungeDirt, scratches and worn texture over the photo.
  • KaleidoscopeMirrored segments around a point you choose, with optional prism rays.
  • Liquid FlowA liquify-style melt: the subject drags and curls along a brush stroke.
  • Long ExposureA motion-trail portrait: the subject's blurred, rippling trail over the sharp photo. Made for portraits.
  • PixelifyTurns the photo into a field of coloured cells you can size and tint. Can follow the scene's depth.
  • VHSAnalog tape look: tracking noise and colour bleed.

Real photographs, effects on and off.

Step through the examples and switch the effects on and off. Each caption lists the effects used.

Three steps, nothing destructive.

  1. ChooseOpen the Halobloom panel in Photoshop and tick the effects you want, or start from a preset.
  2. AdjustDrag the sliders and watch the preview follow. Stack effects and tune each one.
  3. ApplyThe result lands on a duplicated layer, so your original photo stays exactly as it was.

All effects, one panel, no subscription.

€25+ VAT

Launch price €25 + VAT until 15 December 2026, then €35 + VAT

Buy on Gumroad Free download (with watermarks) Get it on Adobe Exchange

Photoshop CC 2022 or newer, macOS and Windows

Creative Cloud will say this plugin isn’t verified by Adobe. That’s normal for plugins installed outside the Adobe Marketplace. By downloading you accept the licence agreement; see also the privacy notice.

Free to download and try, with no time limit
Results carry a watermark until you add a licence
One-time purchase, free updates for this version
One key works on up to three computers

Questions, answered.

  • PhotoshopPhotoshop CC 2022 (version 23) or newer.
  • SystemmacOS or Windows.
  • InstallDouble-click the downloaded .ccx file and the Creative Cloud desktop app installs it. Then open Halobloom from Photoshop’s Plugins menu.
  • InternetNeeded once, to download Halobloom’s working files (the AI depth model and the texture library) and to activate a licence. After that it works offline.
Is there a free version?

Yes. You can download Halobloom and use every effect with no time limit. Without a licence, Apply adds a “HALOBLOOM - DEMO” watermark pattern to the result, while the preview in the panel stays clean. A licence key removes the watermark.

What does one licence cover?

It is a one-time purchase with free updates for the version you buy. One key activates Halobloom on up to three computers, for personal and commercial work, and you own everything you create with it.

Are my photos uploaded anywhere?

No. Halobloom runs on your computer inside Photoshop, including the AI depth model, and your photos never leave it. The plugin contacts gethalobloom.com only to check for updates, download its working files and activate your licence.

Do I need to be online?

Only for the first setup. With a licence, Halobloom quietly re-checks about once a month and keeps working offline for up to 60 days in between.

I got a new computer. What now?

Email support and we will free up a computer slot on your key.

Do updates cost extra?

Updates for the version you buy are free. A future major version, if there is one, may be sold as a separate product.

What if I want a refund?

Halobloom is delivered instantly as a download, so there are no refunds for change of mind once you have downloaded it, and the free download lets you try it first. If it does not work as described on a supported system and we cannot fix it, or you were charged in error, you get a refund. Email support@gethalobloom.com with your order details.

Need help or found a bug?

Send a note and it goes straight to the inbox, no ticket queue in between.