Prism Lens
Add a refracted, color-splitting edge to any photo wall or to your whole canvas — three simple sliders, fully keyframable, with a clean editing experience.
Overview
Prism Lens bends the edges of your frame and splits them into color, like light passing through glass. It lives in two places:
- On a photo wall — open it from the photo wall editor to apply the look to that one element.
- On the whole canvas — a dedicated card in the canvas properties panel applies it across every layer and the background at once.
Both share the same three main controls, and both are fully keyframable, so the effect can fade in, sweep across the frame, or pulse along with your edit.
On a Photo Wall
- Double-click a photo wall to open its editor.
- Find Prism Lens in the editor's effects section and switch it on.
- Adjust Blend, Edge bend, and Color split (see Controls below). More options are folded under Advanced if you want finer control.
Turning Prism Lens on or off doesn't change how the photo wall itself moves or lays out — it's a look applied on top. Switch to a different preset and your Prism Lens settings carry over. The five Optical Gallery presets (Photo Sphere, Prism Tube, Curved Hall, Liquid Ring, Prism Dial — see Gallery Walls) already have this look built in, so Prism Lens stays off automatically on those to avoid doubling up.
On the Whole Canvas
Click away from any element to deselect everything. In the panel on the right, below Background, you'll find a Prism Lens card. Turn it on and the effect applies to the entire frame — every layer plus the background — as one pass, rather than to a single element.
This is the version to reach for when you want a title card, an intro, or a whole scene to carry the look, instead of dressing up one photo wall.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Blend | How strongly the effect shows through, from barely-there to fully committed |
| Edge bend | How far the frame's edges curve and warp |
| Color split | How far the color channels pull apart at the edges — low is a subtle fringe, high is a full rainbow |
| Lens center (canvas version only) | Where the effect is centered in the frame — drag it off-center, or keyframe it to sweep across the shot |
Advanced options let you fine-tune the finish further; the three controls above cover most looks on their own.
Keyframe Recipes
Every control is a keyframable property, the same as position or opacity — change one on the timeline in Animation Mode and it records a keyframe.
- Fade in — keyframe Blend from 0 to your target value over the first second or two, so the shot starts clean and the lens arrives on cue.
- Lens sweep — keyframe Lens center from one edge of the frame to the other for a slow pass of color across the scene.
- Push with the camera — keyframe Blend or Color split alongside a camera move so the color-splitting builds as the camera pushes in.
While You're Editing
Prism Lens is built to stay out of your way while you work:
- Selection boxes and handles are unaffected — they stay exactly where they should, undistorted.
- The effect steps aside the instant you start dragging an element, and returns the moment you let go, so you're never dragging through a distorted view.
- Turn off Show while editing if you'd rather see a clean canvas while you work and only check the effect during playback.
Export & Publishing
What you see in the editor is what you get: exported MP4/WebM and PNG frames match the preview, transparent areas in a PNG export stay transparent, and the effect renders the same way on a published share page.
Free vs Pro
You can add, preview, and edit Prism Lens — on a photo wall or on the whole canvas — on every plan, including Free. Your plan is only checked when you export.
Prism Lens is usable on all plans. Exporting a project that uses it requires the Pro plan and above.
AI Agent
Describe what you want and the AI Agent can turn it on, tune it, and keyframe it for you. Prompts that work well:
- "Add a prism lens to the whole canvas and fade it in over two seconds."
- "Turn up the color split on this photo wall — I want it more dramatic."
- "Sweep the lens center across the frame from left to right."
Tips
- The effect is strongest at the edges, so keep your main subject near the center of the frame for the clearest read.
- A little goes a long way — a low Blend and modest Color split usually look more expensive than maxing everything out.
- The color split reads more clearly against a darker background; try it on a dark scene if you're not seeing much.
Next Steps
- Gallery Walls — Browse the Optical Gallery presets built around this effect
- Animation & Timeline — Keyframe Prism Lens over time
- AI Generation — Build and edit scenes from a prompt
- Billing & Plans — See what each plan can export
- Pricing — Compare plans