Real Lens Flares
The projection strip contains the various visual elements (core projections and lens simulations/reflections) that comprise a flare. When you select a preset, its layered components appear here. Clicking on any one of these elements will open its customizable properties in the inspector pane.
Click the + icon on the projection strip’s left to add a new core projection. (The core projection types are detailed later.) Designer allows up to the following number of core projections to a lens flare and thus to the projection strip:
Note how selecting a core projection, lens simulation, or stylized flare from the presets shows a very limited set of aperture information (along with light source and flare properties settings) in the inspector pane. Essentially, only the graphical representation of the aperture blade configuration and f-stop control are shown (as demonstrated in the first image, below). However, if you select a preset and then click on a core projection in the projection strip, the full assortment of aperture settings appears (second image, below).
VFX Real Lens Flares takes this approach to provide more control granularity as you dig deeper into a lens flare’s components.
It may be useful to isolate certain projections by hiding others, much like turning off visibility for project layers. To do so, mouse-over the strike-out symbol in the top-right corner of a projection’s thumbnail in the strip. Clicking it turns the symbol from white to red and hides that projection’s layer.
Finally, the projection strip includes a few additional functions accessible by right-clicking on a strip thumbnail:
