LensReflections

Begin with Source Regions. Flames, lamps, headlights and small specular reflections can produce convincing optical patterns. A large white wall can create broad glare; source selection, rather than Global Brightness alone, may be responsible.

Source Regions, Reflections Alone and Final Result show different stages. Isolate the intended highlights, inspect reflections alone, then judge the final composite. The manual prose calls the isolation view Isolated Source; the supplied Inspector labels its button Source Regions.

Input Alpha can mask source regions, participate in compositing, or become the effect source itself. These are three different tasks. In a fully opaque image alpha is 1 everywhere, so Is The Source Of The Glow can make the entire frame a source.

Slow (Color) retains source colors; Fast (Greyscale) processes luminance-only regions. Global Colorize and each element Lens Coating can then alter the tint. A vivid coating does not recover distinct source colors discarded by grayscale processing.

Four Reflecting Elements share the same controls and independent Include Reflection switches. Position in Optical Path changes reflection scale and orientation relative to source regions. The pattern contracts near 0; the sign changes its side and orientation; -1 places it over its originating highlight. This is not an ordinary X/Y translation.

Reflection motion comes from moving source regions and each element optical-path position. This is not tracking a named object. If extraction jumps between a lamp and a white sign, the reflections change too; stabilize extraction before adding complexity.

Quality Full, Half and Quarter trades sharpness against speed while retaining the reflection process. Defocus Type changes the blur kernel: Box, Triangular, Lens or Gaussian. Lower Quality does not replace the artistic choice of Defocus Type; Lens Blur is more computationally demanding.

An external Merge mask limits blending of the completed Final Result against the original. It does not change which regions already generated reflections. Use Source Regions or the intended Input Alpha role to control emission, then Global Brightness and Blend for final strength.