The present invention relates to a device (12) and to a method for amplifying light impulses (13). The device comprises a stretcher (15) stretching the light impulses over time, at least one amplifier (16) amplifying the stretched light impulses, and a compressor (17) compressing the stretched and amplified light impulses, wherein the amplifier (16) applies a non-linear phase generated by self-phase modulation to the stretched light impulses. In order to provide a device and a method for amplifying light impulses, by means of which light impulses having higher light impulse quality and light impulse peak power can be generated, the invention proposes that means for spectrally shaping the light impulses are disposed ahead of the amplifier (16) in the beam path, wherein the means for spectrally shaping the light impulses bring about a spectral trimming of the light impulses.