If an image or footage is captured with an anamorphic lens for the primary purpose of obtaining a greater aspect ratio than what is possible when only using spherical lenses on a 35mm format, the direct result will appear compressed and distorted. Projecting this compressed and distorted footage or imagery through a reverse anamorphic projection lens allows elements within the scene to be viewed in their correct proportions. A complementary effect of this process after it is completed is the creation of elongated, blue-colored, horizontally symmetrical highlights from point light sources that can extend through the frame.

Many cinematographers and photographers find this effect desirable and the Schneider True-Streak Filter Rainbow is intended to allow such highlights to be easily reproduced when using optics that do not have an anamorphic design. Instead of the blue highlights generated when using traditional anamorphic optics that are not designed to suppress streaking, streaks extending from point light sources each assume the characteristics of a continuous spectrum when this Rainbow True-Streak Filter is applied. Elongated streaks from intense light sources may contain up to seven, sequential red, orange, yellow, green, blue, pink, and violet colors. Shorter streaks corresponding to less prominent sources of illumination may display a more limited number of colors which are determined by their relative position within the frame. True-Streak Filters that are formulated to create only red, orange, yellow, green, blue