9.3. Gflare
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### 9.3. Gflare

#### Overview

This filter is found in Image>Filters/Light Effects/Gflare.

Gflare effect reminds the effect you get when you take a photograph of a blinding light source, with a halo and radiations around the source. The Gflare image has three components: Glow which is the big central fireball, Rays and Second Flares

#### Preview

When Auto Update Preview is checked, parameter setting results are interactively displayed in preview without modifying the image until you click on OK button.

#### Settings

The Settings tab allows you to set manually the parameters while the Selector tab let you choose presets in a list.

Center: You can set there X and Y (pixels) coordinates of glint. The coordinate origin is at upper left corner

Radius: The radius of the effect. Don't be affraid to use the box with the digits instead the slider a bit limited.

Rotation: Turn the effect.

Hue Rotation: Change the tint (color) of the effect.

Vector Angle: Turn the Second flares.

Vector length: Vary the distance applied for the Second flares.

Adaptive Supesampling: Settings of the antialiasing following parametres like Depth and Threshold.

#### Selector

The Selector tab allows you to select a Gflare pattern, to change it and save it.

New

  When you click on this button, you open the selected Gflare pattern and you can use it to create a new one with a new name.

Edit

  This button brings up the Gflare Editor (see below).

Copy

  This button allows you to save the modified Glare pattern, renaming it.

Delete

  This button deletes the selected Gflare pattern.

#### Gflare Editor

General

  Glow Paint Options.

  1. Opacity: Slider and input box give more opacity to glow (0-100).

  2. Paint Mode: You can choose between four modes:

     - Normal: In this mode, the glow covers the image without taking into account what is beneath.

     - Addition: Pixel RGB values of glow are added to RGB values of the corresponding pixels in the image. Colors get lighter and white areas may appear.

     - Overlay: Light/Dark areas of glow enhance corresponding light/dark areas of image.

     - Screen: Dark areas of image are enlightened by corresponding light areas of glow. Imagin two slides projected onto the same screen.

  Rays Paint Options. Options are the same as for "Glow".

  Second Flare Paint Options. Options are the same as for "Glow".

Glow

  Gradients.

  1. By clicking on the rectangular buttons, you can develop a long list of gradients. "%" gradients belong to the Editor.

  2. Radial gradient: The selected gradient is drawn radially, from center to edge.

  3. Angular gradient: The selected gradient develops around center, counter-clockwise, starting from three o'clock if "Rotation" parameter is set to 0. Radial and angular gradients are combined according to the Multiply mode: light areas are enhanced and colors are mixed according to CMYK color system (that of your printer).

  4. Angular size gradient: This is a gradient of radius size which develops angularly. Radius is controled according to gradient Luminosity: if luminosity is zero (black), the radius is 0%. If luminosity is 100% (white), the radius is also 100%.

  Parameters.

  1. Size (%): Sets size (%) of glow (0-200).

  2. Rotation: Sets the origin of the angular gradient (-180 +180).

  3. Hue rotation: Sets glow color, according to the HSV color circle (-180 +180).

Rays

  Gradients.

  1. The options are the same as for Glow.

  Parameters.

  1. The first three options are the same as in Glow. Two are new:

  2. # of spikes:This option determines the number of spikes (1-300) but also their texture.

  3. Spike Thickness: When spikes get wider (1-100), they look like flower petals

Second Flares

  Gradients. The options are the same as for Glow.

  Parameters. Options are the same as in Glow.

  Shape of Second Flares. Second flares, these satellites of the main flare, may have two shapes: Circle and Polygon. You can set the Number polygon sides. The option accepts 1 side (!), not 2.

  Random seed and Randomize.

  1. Random Seed: The random generator will use this value as a seed to generate random numbers. You can use the same value to repeat the same "random" sequence several times.

  2. Randomize: When you click on this button, you produce a random seed that will be used by the random generator. It is each time different.

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9.2. FlareFX | Home | 9.4. Lighting Effects