Center X / Y
Sets the apparent origin of the rays.
← Fusion node reference
Light EffectsIntermediate
Rays
Radial light streaks from image highlights
Creates radial light rays from bright image regions around a user-defined center.
Rays
DaVinci Resolve · Fusion
Rays stretches selected luminance away from or toward a center point, creating sunbeam, title-streak and radial glow effects.
Overview
What Rays does
Threshold and Exposure determine what image regions generate rays. Center defines their apparent origin. Decay and Weight control how streak energy falls off over distance.
Blend controls the contribution of the generated rays, while Merge Over determines how the pass is recombined with the original image.
A cleaner result often comes from isolating only the intended highlights before feeding the node rather than making the entire frame generate streaks.
Mental model
Think of bright pixels as emitting long streaks toward a shared vanishing point.
Common uses
God rays and sunbeams
Title streaks
Radial glow accents
Sci-fi energy effects
Light-transition elements
Flow anatomy
Inputs & outputs
The port structure shows how this node fits into a Fusion graph.
Input
Source image for the operation.
Effect Mask
Optional mask that limits where the node affects the image.
Rays
Fusion node
Output
The processed result from this node.
Inspector
Important parameters
Start with these controls before reaching for more complicated workarounds.
Blend
Controls overall ray contribution.
Decay
Controls how quickly ray intensity falls off.
Weight
Sets the contribution of accumulated samples along the ray.
Exposure
Boosts or reduces the source contribution.
Threshold
Limits ray generation to sufficiently bright pixels.
Merge Over
Controls whether/how the ray result is composited over the source.
Practical setup
A reliable workflow
- 1
Set Center where the rays should converge.
- 2
Raise Threshold until only the intended highlights contribute.
- 3
Tune Decay and Weight for ray length and density.
- 4
Adjust Exposure and Blend last.
- 5
Mask the effect if rays should appear only in part of the frame.
Typical node chain
Bright Source→
Rays Center→
Radial Light Pass
Examples
Where this node fits in real work
Title rays
Generate streaks from bright typography and merge them back over the title.
Text+RaysMergeBackground
Sunbeam accent
Extract highlights and create directional-looking radial beams.
MediaInLumaKeyerRaysMergeMediaOut
Troubleshooting
Common mistakes
Using a low Threshold and turning the whole frame into streaks.
Centering the rays automatically when the light source is elsewhere.
Overexposing the ray pass before compositing.
Production notes
Practical tips
Pre-key highlights for cleaner rays.
Animate Center for dynamic graphic transitions.
Grade the ray branch independently before merging it back.
Related nodes