Microwaves

BMD describes radiating highlights, and the author’s manual calls Microwaves fast beams. Regular radar rings are therefore not a guaranteed output: the light pattern depends on the source image.

Begin with a contrasting opaque frame and compare source and result under an unchanged Viewer transform. Center defines the geometric origin. Moving it does not automatically track an object; motion requires explicit keys or separately verified control.

Only Edges selects edge contribution instead of the full image area. The historical manual calls this range Full...Edges; the current PNG labels it Only Edges. It selects the source of the beams, rather than masking the finished result.

Blend Original controls the original-picture contribution; Brightness controls the rays. Lowering one is not equivalent to lowering the other. Test them independently: zero ray brightness can still leave the source visible through Blend Original.

Shape changes square, rounded or axial beam density. Compare its modes on the same frame with unchanged Center and Length. These names do not establish regular stripe spacing or a physical wavelength.

Historical documentation distinguishes the regular Effect Mask from an extra Microwaves Mask selecting the emitting area. The complete current additional-mask inventory is not established here. Practices use the main image path and a separate Merge for local compositing.

Create explicit Length or Brightness keys for a pulse and inspect the whole range. A single static adjustment does not create animation. For transparent graphics, examine alpha and edges against both light and dark backgrounds.