--- title: "The advanced Camera Settings in Maxon Redshift for Architects" url: "https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/html/Camera_Settings.html" section_path: "Camera Settings" description: "Redshift for Architects offers realistic camera systems for real-time visualization and rendering. This page introduces the relevant settings and post-effects that can be used, for example, to create natural lens effects." --- # The Camera Settings Some of the camera settings that are important for the perspective of the display can be accessed directly via the *Camera & Navigation* menu in the viewport. We have already covered these in the [overview of the interface](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/html/Interface.html.md). Further camera settings can be accessed from there by clicking on the **Show All Camera Attributes** button and are then displayed in the *Attribute Manager* on the right-hand side. ![The Navigation & Camera settings also offer a button to open the advanced camera options and settings.](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_Settings_01.png) **Quick Navigation** - Camera Settings - FX --- ## Camera Settings This section repeats most of the settings that were already available directly via *Camera & Navigation*. However, it also includes some design settings that are also available on real cameras or are part of the natural characteristics of lens systems. ### Projection The **Focal Length** value indirectly determines the aperture angle of the lens, i.e., how much of the area in front of the camera you can see. Short **Focal Lengths** widen the **Angle of View**, allowing you to capture many elements even in small indoor spaces. Long **Focal Lengths** reduce the camera's **Angle of View**, meaning that only a small section of the surroundings is visible through the camera. As a result, long **Focal Lengths** allow you to zoom in on distant elements. ![Comparision of different 'Focal Length' settings for the camera.](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_Settings_02.png) Figure 1A short **Focal Length** was used on the left, a long **Focal Length** on the right. However, the **Focal Length** value not only changes the zoom level of the lens, but also the perspective of an object (see Figure 1). With short **Focal Lengths**, perspective distortions can increase, especially near the edges of the rendered image. With long **Focal Lengths**, the distances between objects are optically shortened and perspective distortions are reduced. The view becomes more technical than realistic. If you prefer, you can also edit the desired camera **Angle of View** directly. The **Focal Length** value will adjust automatically accordingly. > **Note:** It should also be noted that subsequent changes of the **Focal Length** often require the camera to be repositioned in order to keep the same objects in the frame. The focal length should therefore be selected as early as possible before the camera is finally positioned. > **Note:** **Good to know:** > > To minimize perspective distortion, try to keep the horizon of your surroundings running horizontally through the center of the frame. This will ensure that vertical straight lines always appear vertical and parallel to each other. Another way to eliminate perspective distortions is to use the **Projection** menu and switch from *Perspective* to *Orthographic*. Instead of a central perspective, this calculates a parallel perspective that corresponds to classic technical drawings (see Figure 2). Elements at a greater distance retain their size, which means that all lines running parallel to each other on the model remain parallel to each other in the view. This is therefore a good alternative to using the *Perspective* **Projection** mode in combination with very long **Focal Lengths**. ![An example of a typical orthographic perspective of an architectual rendering.](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_Settings_03.png) Figure 2A typical orthographic perspective of a building. There are just some downsides to be aware of when using *Orthographic* **Projection**: - The [Environment](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/html/Environment.html.md), no matter if the *Sky* or a loaded *HDRI* are activated, is no longer visible. However, the lighting generated by the environment used and the reflections based on it remain part of the rendering. - The free placement of the camera is severely restricted. The *Orthographic* **Perspective** only offers a view of the scene from the outside as standard and is therefore only suitable for the external representation of buildings or other objects placed “outdoors,” for example. The camera can no longer be placed inside a closed room. > **Tip:** **A useful 'hack'** > > Besides these possible downsides of the *Orthographic* **Projection** there is also an interesting side effect. If the camera is first placed in **Projection** *Perspective* mode within a room and then switched to *Orthographic* mode, all objects that lie completely behind the camera, i.e., behind its XY plane on the negative Z axis of the camera, are automatically ignored for image calculation. In some cases, this can be used to calculate simple cuts through the geometry during rendering.\ > However, this useful ‘hack’ may become obsolete in future versions due to an integrated cutting algorithm for the displayed geometry. > > ![Placing a camera inside a room first and then switching to 'Orthographic' mode, all elements behind the camera are not rendered. This can be used for simple cuts through geometry in some cases.](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_Settings_04.png) ### Exposure Some of these settings are already familiar from the [Viewport & Camera](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/html/Interface.html.md) settings and control, for example, how the brightness of the materials and light sources in the scene influence the final image brightness. A balanced brightness distribution can be calculated automatically, or you can adjust it manually. Other settings in this section relate to **White Balance**, i.e., which color value should be displayed as neutral white, and **Vignetting**, which simulates a reduction in light transmission at the edges of lens systems. #### Exposure Type The **Exposure Type** mode corresponds to the **Auto Exposure** option in the [Viewport & Camera](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/html/Interface.html.md) settings, which can be accessed directly via the viewport. In *Manual* mode, image brightness is not filtered and the image is initially displayed as it results from the intensities of the light sources. However, the **Exposure** value can still be adjusted manually to darken or lighten the result individually. With an **Exposure** value of 0, however, it is guaranteed that there will be no burnt-out bright areas in the image. This is helpful for any kind of post-processing in image or video editing programs.\ With **Exposure Type** *Manual*, you take full control of the resulting image brightness and must adjust it using the **Exposure** value in every case. #### Exposure Value Regardless of the **Exposure Type** used, **Exposure** values below 0 reduce image brightness, while values above 0 brighten the image accordingly. Since this calculation can access the original values of your materials and light sources during rendering, the results are much more realistic compared to a subsequent brightness adjustment to the saved image. You should therefore always try to configure the desired brightness and contrast of the subject here using the **Exposure** settings before rendering. ![Two Renderings comparing the Manual and the Auto-Exposure modes, both using Exposure 0.](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_Settings_05_1200x406.png) Figure 3Both renderings show the same scene with **Exposure** 0 each. The left used **Manual** Exposure, the right **Auto Exposure**. #### White Point The perception of colors depends heavily on lighting conditions. For example, a white sheet of paper may appear slightly yellowish in sunlight. Although such color changes are realistic, they are not always desirable. In such cases, real cameras can also be counteracted with a so-called *White Balance*.\ Redshift simplifies this setting by providing a color picker that allows you to simply click on the surface in the viewport that has a white material and should therefore only appear in shades of gray. In summary, you should set the color in **White Point** or take it directly from the viewport if you want to see it desaturated in the rendering. With the default setting, which uses white for the **White Point**, all other surfaces are displayed exactly as they appear in the light falling on them.\ For more information about how to set or pick colors, please see this page about [Working with Colors](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/html/Color_Chooser.html.md). #### Vignetting A vignette usually appears as a darkening of a photo at the edges, as less light is transmitted through photographic lenses there compared to the center of the lens. Normally, attempts are made to minimize this effect on real lenses by coating them, but it can also be used intentionally and creatively to draw the viewer's eye to the center of the image. ![Example images of the Vignetting effect on renderings. A rendering without vignette on the left, with vignette on the right.](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_Settings_06.png) Figure 4A direct comparison between a rendering without **Vignetting** (left) and with strong **Vignetting** (right). ### Depth of Field These settings allow you to simulate natural depth of field. This simulates focusing on a specific **Distance** or on a designated object (**Auto Focus**). The degree of blur and the size of the in-focus area are determined by the **Aperture** value. A large **Aperture** (for example, values between 8 and 16) reduces the amount of blur. Smaller **Aperture** values (for example, between 1 and 3.5) increase the blur and reduce the depth of field. Otherwise, the settings are exactly the same as those in the *Camera & Navigation* dialog, which has already been [described here](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/html/Interface.html.md). --- ## FX These settings allow you to make custom color corrections for rendering, as well as simulate lens effects similar to those found in real camera lens systems. If you find settings here that you like, you can save them as a preset. This way, you can save as many *FX* settings as you like and recall them at any time for your projects. You can also access saved *FX* presets via the [Camera & Navigation](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/html/Interface.html.md) menu. To save a new *FX* preset click on the save icon (see Figure 5) and enter a unique **Name** for it. Optionally, you can use the button with the three dots (**...**) in the dialog to specify the category within the [Library Browser](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/html/Library_Browser.html.md) where your *FX* presets should be saved (see right side in Figure 5). However, this is not strictly necessary. Redshift automatically saves presets so that they can be recalled using the **Library** button (see Figure 6). ![Settings for color corrections and for lens FX can be saved as presets. This figure shows the dialogs offered to give a name to such a preset and to set the desired category to such presets in the Library Browser.](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_FX_Presets_01.png) Figure 5Using the save icon opens a dialog to set a unique name and category for the FX preset in the Library Browser. To load previously saved *FX* presets, click the **Library** icon button either here directly in the Camera Settings or in the [Camera & Navigation](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/html/Interface.html.md) menu. Then select the desired preset by double-clicking on it. If you have already saved many presets, you can also use the search bar at the top of the browser window to search for the name of one of your *FX* presets. ![Using the Library button shows the stored FX presets and allows to load from them.](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_FX_Presets_02.png) Figure 6The library icon opens the Library Browser for the stored FX presets. ### LUT - Lookup Table A LUT (short for *Lookup Table*) is a definition that includes a predefined table of color transformations that maps input colors to output colors, adjusting brightness, contrast, and color grading of the rendered image. This section allows to read such LUT files and apply them directly to your rendered output. The resulting color changes can be mixed with the original rendering on a percentage basis. [Video: Camera_Settings_LUT_01.mp4](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_Settings_LUT_01.mp4) The video shows the effect of blending between the original rendering and an output precessed with a loaded LUT profile. ### LUT If you want to load a LUT file and apply it to the rendering, you must activate *On* here. When the setting is *Off*, LUT profiles cannot be used. #### File To the right of the **File** path field, you will find a button with a folder icon. Clicking on it opens a file dialog where you can select the desired LUT file. LUT files with the extension *.cube* or *.3dl* are generally recognized. It is advantageous to create a directory where all available LUT files are collected. The following **LUTs** menu then allows you to browse and select all of the LUT files within the directory where the file specified in **File** is located. #### LUTs If the LUT file specified in **File** is located in a directory together with other *.cube* or *.3dl* LUT files, you can select the desired file from this directory here. #### Intensity The loaded LUT file changes the original RGB values during rendering. However, the **Intensity** value can be used to mix between the original rendering and the modified LUT rendering as desired. With a value of 0%, the original rendering remains unchanged; at 100%, the LUT conversion is fully implemented.\ A click on the small triangle to the left of the parameter shows additional options about how to process the LUT during rendering. ##### Convert to Log-Space before LUT ![An example showing a dark rendering with an applied LUT. One version shows the result without log space conversion of the rendering and the other versions shows the result, if log space conversion got applied before the LUT.](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_Settings_07.png) Figure 7This example shows a building illuminated from behind by the sun. The elements in front of the viewer are therefore in shadow and are displayed even darker by the loaded LUT (left side of the image). If the rendering is first converted to log space before applying the LUT, the darker parts of the image become visible again. When enabled your rendered image will be converted to the logarithmic color space before the LUT is applied. Converting an image to logarithmic color space means that the stored pixel values no longer represent light linearly. Instead, they represent the logarithm of the radiance or luminance. This means that bright areas appear less blown out, because high intensities are squeezed closer together. This is similar to photographing with *log profiles* (S-Log, C-Log, V-Log).\ At the same time darker areas of the rendering and shadows can show more details. Black levels appear “washed out” unless corrected later. Overall a log‑encoded image looks low saturation and low contrast until a proper tone‑mapping or LUT is applied. An image converted to log space is therefore not suitable for direct viewing, but only shows its advantages during post-processing, e.g., through the loaded LUT. ##### Apply Color Management before LUT When enabled your Redshift color corrections will be applied to the rendered image before the LUT is applied. Otherwise, the color corrections are applied to the image modified by the LUT. If in doubt, simply try out which result you prefer. ### Color Controls The **Color Controls** in this section lets you make overall color and brightness adjustments to your rendered image. You may already be familiar with such controls from other image or video programs, e.g., for customizing gamma curves. The functionality is the same here.\ The left edge of each graph represents the dark tones in the image, while the right edge represents the light tones. The height of the curve corresponds to the new target intensity. A curve running linearly from the bottom left (black or 0% intensity of the color value) to the top right (white or 100% intensity of the color value) therefore leaves all intensities unchanged. ![Image Description.](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_Settings_08.png) Figure 8Clicking on the curve while holding down the `Ctrl` key creates a new control point on it (see left side). By opening the context menu with a right-click on a point on the curve, you can also delete points that are no longer needed (see right side). The curves can be manipulated with the mouse. Existing points can be moved directly with the mouse. Additional points can be created by `Ctrl`-clicking on the curve. Surplus points can be removed by right-clicking on them and selecting **Delete Point** (see also Figure 8). #### Color Controls Select the **On** setting here if you want to use the subsequent correction of contrast or RGB values. #### Contrast Contrast adjustment changes the difference between light and dark areas of the rendering, making shadows darker and highlights brighter, to alter visual separation between tones. With negative values this effect is reversed. The differences between the light and dark areas in the rendering are then reduced. #### RGB Curves The **RGB** curve can be used to change the brightness of the rendering. The color angles of the color values remain unchanged and only their brightness is altered. To edit the colors themselves, use the individual **R**, **G**, and **B** curves for the *red*, *green*, and *blue* color components in the rendering.\ In this section, you will learn everything you need to know about operating the curve elements. ### Bloom This is an effect that simulates the scattering of light within the lenses of a camera lens. The effect is particularly noticeable in areas of the image with particularly bright pixels, such as those that can be caused by direct sunlight. A glow can then be applied to these areas of the image, softening the transition to neighboring areas.\ This effect is therefore suitable for making a rendering appear more natural and softer, compared to renderings that are otherwise often too precise and super sharp. ![Image Description.](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_Settings_09.png) Figure 9Example rendering without (on the left) and with Bloom (on the right). #### Bloom If you want to apply the **Bloom** effect to the rendering, switch the mode to **On** here. #### Intensity This **Intensity** value controls the overall strength of the **Bloom** effect. In this context, also note the Softness value, as this can be used to control the size of the effect, which can have a similar effect. #### Threshold This **Threshold** value determines which areas of the image are recognized as having sufficient brightness to be affected by the bloom effect. The lower the **Threshold**, the more dark areas are included in the effect. With higher **Threshold** settings, however, the effect is concentrated only on extremely bright pixels. Also note the separate Softness value, that can be used to scale the blooming effect so it covers larger areas. ![Render comparison between increasing 'Threshold' values for the Bloom effect.](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_Settings_10.png) Figure 10Comparison between renderings with different **Bloom Threshold** settings. From left to right the values 5%, 10% and 15% have been used for **Threshold**. #### Softness The **Softness** value can be used to control the size of the blooming effect. It also makes the blooming appear softer and covers additional areas of the image. When using very high values, the rendering may appear as if it were taken through a fogged lens or as if the scene were filled with fog. #### Tint By default, blooming takes over the coloring of the bright areas of the image that triggered the effect. However, by activating this option you can also assign your own colors, like up to five, to color the blooming gradient from the inside to the outside. **Tint 1** colors the bright center and **Tint 5** the border area of the blooming effect. Only when all five **Tint** colors are perfectly white are the original colors of the highlights used in the rendering for coloring the blooming effect. > **Important:** **Please note:** > > The darker the colors you choose, the weaker the corresponding proportion of the **Bloom** effect will be. ![Two examples using different 'Tint' colors for the 'Bloom' render effect.](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_Settings_11.png) Figure 11Two examples of different **Tint** color sets applied to the **Bloom** effect ### Flare Flares are caused by multiple reflections of bright specular highlights or surface reflections on the glass inside the camera lens. This creates different colored shapes that correspond to the aperture opening. By default, a hexagonal aperture is simulated.\ The flare shapes are placed along a line that runs through the center of the image and the bright areas of the image. The **Flare** effect can also calculate a separate **Halo** ring that is always placed centered in the image and matches the proportions of the render resolution. ![Example of a sun lit reflective materials with and without a 'Streak' effect.](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_Settings_12.png) Figure 12Comparison of a sky rendering without camera effects (left) and with **Flares** activated (right). #### Flare If you want to apply the **Flare** effect to the rendering, switch the mode to **On** here. > **Note:** As you can also see in Figure 13, the softness, size, and spacing between the flares change depending on the **Focal Length** of the camera used. At a shorter **Focal Length**, the flares appear sharper, larger, and closer together overall. #### Intensity This **Intensity** value controls the overall strength of the **Flare** effect. In this context, also note the Softness value, as this can be used to control the size of the effect, which can have a similar effect. #### Threshold The **Threshold** defines the minimum brightness of an image pixel required to trigger the flare effect. This means that the lower the **Threshold** is set, the more parts of the image will trigger flares. #### Softness The **Softness** value can be used to control the size of the flare effect by adding more blur to it. #### Chromatic By default, the Flares take on the color of the bright pixels on which they are based. This option simulates the natural effect of lenses that are not optimally coated, on which the light is refracted differently depending on the color. This results in the typical rainbow colors that we can also observe, for example, in the dispersion effects. ![Examples of sun renderings with and without 'Chromatic' for the 'Flare' effect.](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_Settings_13.png) Figure 13Here, examples of a sun rendering with 0% **Chromatic** are shown in the left column and with 100% **Chromatic** in the right column. The top two renderings were created with a short **Focal Length** on the camera. The bottom two renderings used a longer **Focal Length**. #### Size Use this to scale the individual **Flare** elements. However, enlarging the flares can also cause them to lose some brightness, as shown in the following video. [Video: Camera_Flares_Size.mp4](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_Flares_Size.mp4) The video demonstrates the change in solar flares due to different size values. #### Halo A **Halo** is an additional, circular or elliptical glow effect that can be added to the Flare overlay. This parameter can be used to influence the visibility of the effect. A Halo is always centered in the camera view and adapts to the aspect ratio of the render resolution. #### Tint Up to six individual **Flares** are created for each pixel brightness that corresponds to at least the **Threshold** value. Normally, these automatically take on the color of the bright image pixels, but after activating **Tint**, you can also assign your own color values, which are then multiplied in sequence by the brightness of the flares. Only with perfectly white **Tint** colors can the original colors and intensities of the flares be calculated. Therefore, try to use colors that are as bright as possible if you want to make individual color changes. > **Important:** **Please note:** > > The darker the colors you choose, the weaker the corresponding **Flare** will be. ![Individual coloring of sun flares.](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_Settings_15.png) Figure 14The **Flare** effects can be colored individually in sequence. ### Streak The **Streak** effect is suitable for highlighting gloss, e.g., on metallic or other reflective surfaces. The reflections of bright areas of the image are then given additional halos and a glowing appearance. This effect can also be seen in Figure 15. On the left is the normal rendering and on the right is the rendering with the streak effect added. This further highlights the steel girder illuminated by the sun and additionally intensifies the intensity of the sunlight. ![Example of a sunlit reflective materials with and without a 'Streak' effect.](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_Settings_16.png) Figure 15Example of a sunlit metal beam without and with the rendered **Streak** effect. #### Streak If you want to apply the **Streak** effect to the rendering, switch the mode to **On** here. #### Intensity This **Intensity** value controls the overall strength of the **Streak** effect. #### Threshold The **Threshold** defines the minimum brightness of an image pixel required to trigger the streaks. This means that the lower the **Threshold** is set, the more parts of the image will trigger streaks (see Figure 16). ![Examples of different 'Threshold' values for the 'Streak' effect. With hiher 'Thresholds' only very bright pixels are able to show streaks.](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_Settings_17.png) Figure 16A very small **Threshold** was used on the left and a large one on the right. The larger the **Threshold**, the brighter the rendered pixels must be to create **Streaks**. #### Tail This value controls the visible length of the streaks. Please note that the brightness within a streak is automatically reduced between its starting point (the bright areas of the image selected above the Threshold) and its end point. The outer ends of the streaks therefore automatically become less visible. Figure 17 provides an example about this. ![The 'Tail' value changes the length of the 'Streaks'.](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_Settings_18.png) Figure 17A small value was used for **Tail** on the left, and a large value on the right. #### Softness The **Softness** value can be used to control the width and edge visibility of the streaks by adding more blur to it. #### Number The streaks are always generated in pairs. For example, a **Number** of 1 results in two streaks, one running to the left and one to the right. A **Number** of 2 results in a cross-shaped arrangement of four streaks, and so on (see also Figure 18). The direction of the streaks can then be rotated individually using the subsequent Angle value. ![The number of 'Streak' pairs can be set by the 'Number' value.](https://help.maxon.net/rva/en-us/Content/Resources/Images/Camera_Settings_19.png) Figure 18The desired **Number** of streak pairs can be specified individually. #### Angle Use this value to rotate the **Streak** sunbursts around their centers.