Tutorial: AKVIS NatureArt

Sun

This effect adds the most important celestial body to an image - The Sun in all of its manifestations, depending on the time of day, the seasons, and the weather: bright, dim, summer, winter, rising, setting, etc. By changing settings or using one of the presets from AKVIS, it's possible to transform the sun into the moon (AKVIS Moon preset) or another more distant star (AKVIS Star preset).

Sun Effect in AKVIS NatureArt

Step 1. Use the Transform tool in the Before tab to determine the location of the sun, its size, and the direction of its rays.
The sun is depicted schematically as a circle with rays emanating from it (the number of which is determined by the corresponding parameter in the Rays tab). When is pressed, markers appear around the circumference of the frame.

To move an object, bring the cursor within the frame, after which it will take the form of double perpendicular arrows, left click the mouse and while holding it down, drag the cursor. You can also draw a sun anywhere on the image by double clicking the left mouse button.

Note:

To correctly place the sun and achieve the most realistic result, consider the location of shadows in the image.

Original Position Position After Moving

To change the size of the sun, bring the cursor within the frame so that it takes the form of a double-headed arrow, and after clicking and holding the left mouse button, move the cursor to increase or decrease it.

Changing the Size of the Sun

The sun's rays can be rotated. To rotate them, bring the cursor outside of the frame, so that it takes the form of a rounded double-headed arrow, and after clicking and holding the left mouse button, drag the cursor.

Changing Position of the Rays
Step 2. Configure the effect's settings.
You can adjust the parameters for the Sun effect in the Settings Panel. There are two tabs: Sun and Rays.

Sun Tab:

Working with color. There are three color to set for the sun: Sun Color, Glow Color and, if desired, Additional Glow Color. Usually two colors are enough. In rare cases an additional color is required, mainly for a rising or setting sun.
To choose a color click on the color plate and choose another color in the Select Color dialog.

Sun - White, Glow - Yellow
Additional Glow deactivated Sun - White, Glow - Orange
Additional Glow deactivated
Power. This parameter determines the size of the sun's glow and its intensity. At higher values the glow is stronger and covers a larger area.

Power = 0.5 Power = 0.85
Smoothness. This parameter determines how smooth the transition between the colors of the sun and its glow will be. Increasing the value of this parameter will make the transition between colors smoother.

Smoothness = 2 Smoothness = 10

Rays Tab:

Enable Rays. This parameter is activated by default, and rays are drawn according to the settings of the parameters described below. If you want a sun without rays, turn this parameter off. In this case the parameters under this tab will be inactive and can not be changed.

"Enable Rays" Deactivated
Number. This parameter determines the number of rays.

Number = 5 Number = 11
Max Length. This parameter determines how far rays spread and also acts as a contraint on their length. The length of the rays can be different but they will be no longer than the specified value.

Max Length = 50 Max Length = 150
Intensity. This parameter determines the strength of a ray's glow and how far it spreads. At higher values the glow is stronger and spreads further.
Width. This parameter determines the width of rays. The result is affected by the value of Intensity. At lower values of that parameter the width of the rays will appear almost unchanged.

Intensity = 25, Width = 30
Intensity = 75, Width = 30

Intensity = 20, Width = 10 Intensity = 20, Width = 90
Transparency. This parameter determines the translucency of rays. At higher values their color fades and more of the image is visible through them. For a more realistic effect it is best to set this to a high value.

Transparency = 30% Transparency = 80%

Tip:	To speed up processing the effect deactivate the rays in the corresponding tab and then adjust parameters in the Sun tab. Processing time will be significantly reduced. Then, if necessary, return to the Rays tab and adjust its parameters.