Bloom

Bloom is the halo of light that bleeds out from the brightest parts of a frame, imitating the way real lenses and the human eye scatter intense light. Unlike halation, bloom is usually neutral or white rather than tinted red. Colorists and finishing artists add it to make highlights feel luminous, giving practical lights, sunlit skin, and reflections a dreamy, high-end softness. The method mirrors a glow effect: isolate the highlights with a luminance key, blur that pass, and composite it back over the image with control over threshold and intensity. Tasteful bloom lends warmth and a sense of real light hitting a lens; too much washes out contrast and detail. Dialing the threshold so only genuine highlights glow keeps the effect believable rather than hazy.