Laser eye meme: how to create the effect using Picsart

A good meme goes a long way. Sometimes it even winds up in the most far-reaching corners of the Internet. The laser eye meme is a classic example.

From edited photos of “super-powered” cats to bitcoin investors’ profile pics, you’ll find glowing eyes all over the web. The trend started with the idea that glowing eyes represent coming into one’s full power, and the joke ran wild.

Glowing eyes, also known as lens flash eyes or red eyes, have since been superimposed on people and pets alike, all with the same goal: to get a laugh. Recently, however, these bright eyes have been showing up in unexpected places, like the aforementioned profile pictures of senators and businesspeople, meaning that laser eyes have gone completely viral.

What use is the laser eye effect?

Before learning how to make your own laser eye meme, you’ll need to do a bit of light research. A good way to start is by looking up the most famous laser eye photos online. The meme is both an inside joke in the cryptocurrency community and a universal quip about goofy powers. That said, no one seems to know its true origin. On the Internet, comedic content travels lightning fast which means that today’s hottest memes are usually old news by tomorrow.

If putting laser eyes on your professional profile picture isn’t your thing and you simply want to make a funny statement, you’re off to a good start. No matter where it started out, the meme was intended to lighten up the world’s social media feeds. Even most cryptocurrency aficionados aren’t taking it too seriously.

But if your meme isn’t serious, your subject probably should be. The irony is part of what makes us laugh, and it’s what has struck people as being so curious about the more non-ironic usages of laser eyes among bitcoin traders.

How to make eyes glow using the lens flare effect

We can’t show you how to make your eyes shoot laser beams in real life (well, obviously). We can however, show you how to create this effect in Picsart. It’s easy, too. Let’s get started.

The basics

1. When you’re ready to enhance an image by adding lasers, open the Picsart app on your phone. Click on the purple plus sign at the bottom of the screen to start a project.

2. In the Photos section, select from the recent shots taken on your phone. If you want to use an older image or choose one from our image bank, select All Photos and you’ll see the option to search for a free stock photo or select something from your personal library.

3. When you select your photo, the app will take you to the editing screen. Scroll right on the bottom bar of the screen until you find the Lens Flare option.

Get your glow on

4. Tap on the Lens Flare icon to see the different types of flashes available. Click on the one that works best and it’ll automatically appear on your photo.

5. Move the flare around until it’s right over one of your subject’s eyes.

6. Change the hue of the flare using the slider at the bottom of the screen. There is also an option to change the opacity, but we recommend leaving it as is. The laser should look bright, and taking down the opacity will make it dull.

Finesse that flash

7. Next, play with the blending tool. When you click on it, you’ll have three options: Screen, Lighten, and Add. The first is the default option and won’t change your photo. The second will change the tonalities of your image to reflect the hue of the laser flash. The third will bring light intensity to the surface of your photo. Go with whatever looks best.

9. Now, it’s time to do the other eye. Follow the same steps and use the same settings so that your final image looks coherent. When you’re finished, click Apply in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

9. Finally, export your image by clicking Next in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. Decide whether to post your photo to the Picsart community or save it for personal use.

And you’re done. Easy, as promised. Now what? Why not read up on how to make a good meme? That way you could your laser-eye photo in a composition by adding funny text or placing it side-by-side with another image. It’s your call really. The key thing is just to have fun with the laser eye meme.

Create at the Speed of Culture

Picsart is a photo and video editing platform and creative community. A top 20 most downloaded app worldwide with over 150 million monthly active users, its AI-powered tools enable creators of all levels to design, edit, draw, and share content anywhere. The platform has amassed one of the largest open-source content collections in the world, including photos, stickers, backgrounds, templates, and more. Used by consumers, marketers, content creators and businesses, Picsart tools fulfill both personal and professional design needs. Picsart has collaborated with major artists and brands like BLACKPINK, Taylor Swift, Lizzo, Ariana Grande, Warner Bros. Entertainment, iHeartMedia, Condé Nast, and more. Download the app or start editing on web today, and upgrade to Gold for premium perks!