Lens Blur.

Selects one of three shape sources: Real Apertures, Creative, or External Input. Real Apertures uses realistic polygonal iris shapes; Creative exposes decorative shapes; External Input takes an arbitrary white-on-black shape from an additional RGB input on Lens Blur.

CheckDo not start with Chroma Shift or Catadioptric before choosing the correct Shape Type: changing mode affects both appearance and which controls are available.

With Real Apertures, selects Triangle, Square, Pentagon, Hexagon, Heptagon, or Octagon. Creative exposes a different set: Heart, Star, Starfish, Starburst, Petals, Lip, Eye, Droplet, and Leaf. Shape defines the bokeh silhouette, not its amount.

CheckCompare shapes on small bright point sources. On a flat wall or skin, the difference can remain subtle even at a large Blur Size.

Displays the selected aperture shape so it can be inspected independently from the picture. It is a diagnostic preview, not another blur model or a final render mode.

CheckUse Preview Shape to verify geometry, then return to the actual shot: a pleasing iris on its own does not guarantee believable bokeh.

The menu contains Full, Half (Faster), and Quarter (Fast). This is a quality/performance trade-off for Lens Blur: reserve Full for final judgement of complex bokeh and fine edges, while the faster modes are useful during interactive setup on heavy shots.

CheckDo not judge final quality from Quarter alone. Return to Full before delivery and re-check small highlights, hair edges, and textured masks.

Includes the alpha channel in Lens Blur processing. On ordinary opaque footage the difference may be invisible, but on keyed graphics, titles, and composited elements this checkbox determines whether the matte receives the same optical softness as RGB.

CheckIf RGB is soft while the matte edge remains hard or halos, compare Blur Alpha states and inspect premultiplication across the composite.

Conditional controls for External Input. They crop unused black area around the shape image so Lens Blur has less source area to process. Until the crop reaches the white shape itself, the intended bokeh geometry should remain unchanged.

When visibleCrop is an input-shape optimization, not an artistic scale control. Once the crop cuts into the white shape, you are changing the aperture rather than merely speeding processing.

The primary defocus scale. Increasing it enlarges the bokeh footprint and makes aperture shape easier to read on point highlights. The page screenshot shows 4.00 as one captured panel state, not a recommended default.

CheckLarge Blur Size quickly exposes masks, edge contamination, and missing depth separation. Establish believable scale first, then add optical styling.

Rounds the edges of the selected aperture shape in Real and Creative modes. Lower values keep a harder polygonal character; increasing the control produces rounder bokeh. It changes silhouette rather than blur amount.

CheckJudge it on bokeh discs, not general facial softness. If the blades are not visible, Blur Size or the highlights may simply be too small to reveal them.

Rotates the aperture shape. It matters little on near-circular bokeh but can significantly change the orientation of Triangle, Square, Star, or any other asymmetric shape.

CheckRotation does not create motion and is not a substitute for Directional Blur. It only rotates virtual-iris geometry.

Changes the Lens Blur aspect ratio, stretching bokeh along one axis for an anamorphic-like character. It is an optical footprint aspect ratio, not a one-direction motion streak.

CheckMatch the stretch to the rest of the shot’s lens language. Strong arbitrary Anamorphism on spherical source optics often reads as a post effect.

Adds chromatic-aberration-like color separation inside the blur. It is not a calibrated model of a specific lens; it is a stylistic optical control that becomes more visible on high-contrast bokeh edges.

CheckInspect white highlights and skin. If the colored fringe becomes the first thing the eye notices, Chroma Shift is already stronger than the optical idea.

Changes how bright areas contribute to Lens Blur and is most visible on practical lights, reflections, and specular points. It can make luminous bokeh more expressive, but it does not replace correct source exposure.

CheckWatch clipping and halos. Strong Highlights on already clipped sources can quickly turn optical bokeh into glowing blobs.

With Real and Creative apertures, changes the energy distribution inside bokeh. Negative values emphasize ring/diffraction-like structure, while positive values progressively filter the edges for smoother bokeh. It is not a generic edge blur.

CheckEvaluate several highlights at different sizes. One attractive ring on a test light can become distracting texture across hundreds of tiny points in a real shot.

Simulates catadioptric or mirror-lens character and, as it increases, can reintroduce more readable source structure while the image remains distorted through the bokeh shape. It is a specialized look, not a general Lens Blur sharpening control.

CheckFor ordinary photographic defocus, start at zero. High Catadioptric values can create double or ring-like overlays that immediately read as a specific mirror-lens effect.

The final dry/wet between the calculated Lens Blur and the source. Lowering Blend restores some sharp source, but it does not reduce Blur Size, reshape the aperture, or undo an excessive Chroma Shift inside the processed component.

CheckBuild believable blur at 1.000 first, then reduce it. If Blend is used to hide a bad matte or artificial bokeh, the underlying problem remains inside the effect.