Paint.NET :: Image Manipulation - Camera Flash Effect?

I'm not really an artist or good with image manipulations, but I am learning how to create games on my own (using Unity3D currently) and have to create some basic art or animations myself when I can't find it available for free online, and I do that in paint.net.

Right now I'm working on an asteroids clone to further my learning and what I want to do is when the player ship spawns in the game, I want to have a little flash so that it doesn't look as if the ship just appears out of nowhere.

I figured that the closest thing to what I want looks like a camera flash and have been looking for this online but have yet found nothing. I've searched these forums, too, in both Plugins and the tutorials for creations and distortions/modifications but have also come up empty.

There was a plugin for a lens flare effect, but is not what I need, and one plugin that creates glitter/sparks, but that one seems to only work when you have a suitable image to work with, whereas I need something that creates this kind of flash by itself.