HotSpot

HotSpot creates a controlled lens flare, spotlight or burn/dodge treatment over an input image. A bright lamp does not automatically position the effect: set or animate Primary Center. The node requires an image Input even when the intended result is mostly light graphics.

Primary Center positions the main source and anchors the reflections. The secondary spot appears on the opposite side of the image as a reflection of the primary spot. It is not merely another halo around the same point, so inspect it with the source away from the image center.

HotSpot Size specifies the diameter: 1.0 corresponds to the image width. Aspect above 1 elongates the spot horizontally and below 1 vertically; Aspect Angle rotates it. Keep the main size distinct from reflection Element Size and radial ray length.

Apply mode changes how the effect interacts with the source. Add (Burn) brightens, Subtract (Dodge) dims, and Multiply (Spotlight) lights a region while darkening the remainder. Judge the resulting operation rather than relying on the everyday meaning of the word Dodge.

The green Occlusion input receives a separate occlusion image. Occlude selects its Alpha, Red, Green or Blue channel. White hides the flare and gray attenuates it. The blue Effect Mask restricts the processed image and does not replace source visibility control through Occlusion.

Lens Aberration changes primary and secondary spot geometry. In/Out stretch toward the center or image corners; Flare In/Flare Out change severity as the source moves toward the center or edges. Lens creates a rounded ring effect. This is not a chromatic-aberration correction filter for the source footage.

In Color, the RGB/Alpha curves map from the spot’s outer edge toward its center, with channel intensity on the vertical axis. Animated Points animates curve points across frames. No Animation retains a static profile; Dissolve Color is mainly a compatibility option for older compositions.

Radial Density and Radial Length describe brightness and radius around the circumference: the horizontal 0…1 axis maps to 0…360 degrees. It is neither a timeline nor ordinary center-to-edge falloff. Radial Repeat repeats the pattern around the circle and angle controls rotate the corresponding profiles.

Radial On enables the radial curves; without it the Color Mix curve does not affect radial contribution. Animated Points animates the curves, while Interpolate Values is a compatibility mode rather than an antialiasing improvement. To inspect a curve, create a clearly asymmetric pattern and enable Radial On.

L1/L2/L3 provide separate sets of lens-reflection controls. The three checkboxes on each tab enable pairs of elements affected by that tab’s strength, size, position, shape and color. Element Position is related to the axis between the source and image center, not an independent screen XY position.

For a sun flare, begin with the primary spot and then add subtle reflections. For a title, shape Color and Radial separately instead of changing every mode at once. For a transition, animate strength and size around the cut and perform the Clip A/Clip B change with an explicit Dissolve.