Cinematic Zoom
AvailableA slow, controlled push into the frame that mimics a dolly or zoom lens move.
moderate motionTry this effect
Light Sweep
AvailableLight Sweep passes a soft diagonal band of light across the image, like a reflection catching a glossy surface. It suits products and artwork with shiny or metallic areas where a moving highlight feels natural.
Available now in the AniFX studio.
Open Light Sweep in the studioHow Light Sweep moves
A bright band travels across the frame at the angle you set, adding light to whatever it crosses. You can have up to four passes per loop and set how long the band rests between passes, so it can read as a single glint or a repeating shimmer.
Works best on
- Glossy or metallic products such as bottles, watches and jewellery
- Dark or mid-tone images where added light is visible
- Logos and badges on a dark background
Think twice about
- Very bright or white images, where the highlight has little room to show
- Matte, soft-focus scenes where a glint would look unnatural
- Images with large areas of pure white that would clip
Practical uses
Product listings
A glint across a bottle, watch or phone case draws attention to its finish.
Logo reveals and badges
A single sweep across a logo on a dark background.
Promotional banners
Subtle, repeating shimmer on a sale or launch graphic.
Portfolio pieces
Make a flat render of a metal or glass object feel alive.
Settings you can change
- Sweeps per loop
- From 1 to 4 passes. The default is 1.
- Band width
- How wide the band of light is, from narrow (0.08) to broad (0.6).
- Strength
- How bright the highlight is, from 0.1 to 1. The default is 0.55.
- Angle
- Tilt of the band from -60° to 60°. The default is 20°.
- Rest between
- How much of each loop the band spends off-screen between passes, from 0 to 0.8.
- Loop duration
- From 1 to 10 seconds.
Exporting
The studio records the loop in real time, so a 4-second loop takes about 4 seconds to export. You get MP4 in Chromium-based browsers, WebM where the browser supports it, and a PNG-sequence ZIP as a fallback. GIF export is not available.
Try Light Sweep on your own image, or browse every effect. Planning a Windows pointer instead? See the animated cursor creator.
Other working effects
- Cinematic Zoom: A slow push-in for the same artwork.
- Glitch Shift: A harsher, more graphic treatment.
Suitable image types
- Product
- Architecture
- Fashion
- Vehicle
Best use cases
- Product Photography
- Ecommerce
- Digital Advertising
Styles
- Cinematic
- Minimal
- Elegant
Motion characteristics
- motion_intensity
- subtle
- loopable
- true
- affects_subject
- true
- affects_background
- true
- transparency_support
- false
Examples using this effect
Guides mentioning this effect
Collections featuring this effect
Related effects
Neon Pulse
PlannedRhythmic glow pulsing on neon-colored light sources within the image.
moderate motionNot yet in the studio
Moving Reflections
PlannedReflective surfaces in the image show slowly shifting light and color reflections.
subtle motionNot yet in the studio
Product Reveal
PlannedThe product fades or rises into frame from a soft blur or offscreen position.
moderate motionNot yet in the studio
Questions about Light Sweep
Yes. The band enters and leaves the frame within the loop, so the last frame matches the first.
The band is a uniform highlight laid over the image, not a simulation of real reflections. It looks most convincing on glossy or metallic surfaces, and less so on matte ones.
Yes. Lower the Strength, narrow the Band width and increase Rest between to get an occasional soft glint.
No. The effect runs in your browser and the image stays on your device.