Starburst
Starbursts are diffraction-based flare patterns that appear as sharp rays radiating from bright light sources. In Flares OFX, starbursts are not simple overlays but fully calculated from physical parameters of the lens system, making them responsive, detailed, and resolution-aware.
Two main factors define the final appearance of a starburst:
- Aperture shape and imperfections
- Image resolution
Higher image or format resolutions naturally produce cleaner and more defined starburst patterns, while lower resolutions may appear softer or more fragmented.
How Starbursts Are Defined
Section titled “How Starbursts Are Defined”Aperture Shape
Section titled “Aperture Shape”The aperture shape is the primary driver of starburst structure.
Parameters such as:
- Blade count
- Roundness
- Rotation
directly influence:
- Number of starburst rays
- Their symmetry
- Overall orientation
Because starbursts are derived from aperture diffraction, any change to aperture geometry will immediately affect the starburst pattern.
Imperfections
Section titled “Imperfections”Real lenses are never perfect, and subtle imperfections play a major role in how starbursts look.
Imperfection controls allow you to influence:
- Irregularity in ray spacing
- Intensity variation between rays
- Subtle distortion and breakup
These imperfections help avoid overly clean, synthetic-looking starbursts and add a more organic, photographic feel.
Resolution Dependency
Section titled “Resolution Dependency”Starbursts are sensitive to resolution:
-
Higher resolutions
Produce sharper, more defined starburst rays -
Lower resolutions
Result in softer or less stable patterns
Custom Starburst Shape
Section titled “Custom Starburst Shape”In some cases, you may want to sharpen or refine the starburst without affecting other lens artifacts such as ghosts.
To do this, you can enable Custom Starburst Shape in:
Lens System Editor → Starburst Settings
When enabled:
- The starburst uses its own aperture definition
- Ghost shapes remain unchanged
- You can independently adjust blade count, roundness, and rotation for starbursts
Reducing Starburst Size can also help produce a tighter, more defined pattern. The default values are intentionally conservative and may not be optimal for every lens setup.
Practical Tips
Section titled “Practical Tips”- Increase resolution for cleaner starbursts
- Use Custom Starburst Shape to refine starbursts independently of ghosts
- Adjust starburst size before increasing sharpness
Summary
Section titled “Summary”- Starbursts are physically derived from aperture shape and imperfections
- Resolution strongly affects starburst clarity
- Custom Starburst Shape allows independent control
- Small adjustments often produce large visual changes
Starbursts in Flares OFX are designed to behave like real optical artifacts while remaining flexible enough for artistic control.