Aperture Settings

The aperture defines the shape of the opening that light passes through before reaching the lens system. While often associated with depth of field, aperture properties also have a strong influence on lens flare ghosts, especially their shape, symmetry, and rotation.

In Flares OFX, aperture settings allow you to control how the aperture influences ghost formation in an intuitive, artist-friendly way.

F-Stop

The F-Stop controls the effective size of the aperture.

Lower F-Stop (wide aperture)
Produces larger, brighter ghosts with more exotic edges
Higher F-Stop (narrow aperture)
Produces smaller, sharper ghosts with more defined structure

Changing the f-stop alters how much light is available for internal reflections, directly affecting ghost intensity and clarity.

Blade Count

Real apertures are made up of multiple blades that form a polygonal opening rather than a perfect circle. The Blade Count parameter defines how many blades the aperture uses.

Low blade counts create more angular, geometric ghost shapes
Higher blade counts result in smoother, more circular ghosts
The blade count can introduce subtle symmetry patterns into flare artifacts

This effect becomes more noticeable when ghosts are sharp or strongly affected by aperture shape.

Roundness

The Roundness parameter controls how closely the aperture resembles a perfect circle.

Low roundness emphasizes the polygonal shape defined by the blades
High roundness smooths edges and reduces angular features

Adjusting roundness allows you to blend between stylized, mechanical aperture shapes and more organic, circular results.

Rotation

The Rotation parameter rotates the aperture shape around the optical axis.

Rotating the aperture:

Rotates polygonal ghost shapes
Changes the alignment of aperture-driven patterns
Helps break symmetry or match reference lenses

This is especially useful when matching real-world lens behavior, where aperture orientation often affects the perceived flare structure.

Practical Tips

Wide apertures with low blade counts produce bold, stylized ghosts
Narrow apertures with higher blade counts create cleaner, more controlled flares
Small rotation offsets can add realism by avoiding perfectly aligned patterns

Together, f-stop, blade count, roundness, and rotation give you fine control over how the aperture influences ghost appearance and overall flare character.