Highlight Layer

T-HFND-010-009C

The Highlight node allows you to brighten an image's area to simulate a light source. For this effect, you will need to create a matte to determine the shape and position of the highlight on a separate element, so that you can blur the edges to create a softer effect. By adjusting the Highlight properties, you can control the type and amount of blur, as well as the colour of the Highlight effect.

NOTE To learn more about using the Highlight node, see Adding a Highlight to a Drawing.

Connection

The Highlight effect layer must be connected as a child of the drawing layer or group which you want it to affect, and must have a matte drawing layer or group added to its Matte attribute. The part of its parent image that are covered by the matte drawing will have a highlight applied to it.

Layer Properties

Parameter Description
Enable/Disable

Allows you to enable or disable the layer. When disabled, a layer has no visible effect on the rendered image, nor on the preview in the Camera, Perspective, Side and Top views.

Colour Swatch

Sets the colour of the layer in the Timeline view.

Name Allows you to enter a name for the node.
Truck Factor

Activated by default, this option readjusts the blur when the elements undergo a change of depth or scale. When disabled, the effect's values will remain unchanged regardless of depth or scale changes. It is recommended that this option be disabled when multiple drawings are composited and attached this effect.

Blur Type

Allows you to choose between the following blur types for the effect:

  • Radial: The edges of the matte are blurred evenly around points that make up the edge of the matte.
  • Directional: The matte is blurred in the direction configured with the Directional Angle and Directional Falloff Rate parameters.
Radius

Enter a value for the size of the blur. The larger the value, the greater the blur effect. The blur radius is affected by the drawing scale and camera position.

Directional Angle

If you set the Blur Type to Directional, this sets the angle of the blur. The value goes from 0 to 360, with 0 meaning west, and angles going counterclockwise. For example:

  • 0: Blurs the image to the west.
  • 90: Blurs the image to the south.
  • 180: Blurs the image to the east.
  • 270: Blurs the image to the north.
Directional Falloff Rate

The distance where the blur fades from the edge of the image. Select a decimal value between 0 and 1. For example:

  • 0: Makes the blur fade out slowly, distributing the blur evenly from the edge of the character to the farthest edge of the blur.
  • 1: Makes the blur fade out quickly. The blur is heaviest closer to the edge of the image.
Multiplicative

Multiplies the colours of the effect with the colours of the source image. This intensifies the effect.

Colour
Red

The amount of red to add to the colour of the source image.

Green

The amount of green to add to the colour of the source image.

Blue

The amount of blue to add to the colour of the source image.

Alpha The alpha value of the effect.
Colour Swatch

Opens the Colour Picker dialog, in which you can visually select a colour for the effect.

Intensity

Allows you to set the factor by which to multiply the intensity of the effect. This parameter can take a decimal value between 0 and 1. At 1, the effect is fully applied. At 0, the effect is not visible.

Matte
Invert Matte

Inverts the matte used to generate the effect. By default, the affect is applied to opaque areas of the matte and transparent areas of the matte are ignored. When this option is enabled, the effect is applied to transparent areas of the matte and opaque areas of the matte are ignored.

Use Matte Colour

Instead of using the colour in the Colour parameters, this uses the colours in the matte drawing to generate the effect.

NOTE The effect of this parameter is only visible in Render View mode.