Keyboard Shortcuts: [ F1 ] will pop open the interactive manual and integrated help facility

With the keyboard focus on any control, press the F1 key to see detailed help on that control in the manual.

Click on the question mark on any dialog to see the help page for that dialog in the interactive manual.

Click on the [ Help and Support ] button or the small image near the top-right with the gems showing star effects in it to see the About dialog, which provides the StarFilter Pro 2 version information as well as links to help and other resources.

Keyboard Shortcuts: [ P ] selects the Pan (drag) scrolling mode, [ Alt ] and [ Ctrl ] modify operation

After selecting Panning tool, the cursor is changed to a "hand", which can be used to click and drag in the viewport to move the image to areas that are beyond the edges of the current display. The Alt key will momentarily change modes to allow you to zoom out one level. Holding down the Ctrl key then clicking the mouse will allow you to zoom in one level.

Keyboard Shortcuts: [ Z ] selects the Zoom display mode, [ Alt ] modifies operation

After selecting the Zoom tool, the cursor is changed to a "magnifying glass", which can be used to change the zoom level in the display viewport. A single click will zoom in one level, or out one level if the Alt key is held down. This cursor can also be used to select an area with which to fill the viewport. Holding down the Alt key then clicking the mouse will allow you to zoom out one level.

Keyboard Shortcuts: [ x ] selects the Effect Hiding mode, [ Alt ] modifies operation

After selecting the X tool, the cursor is changed to an "X crosshair", which can be used to disable spike/flare effects that have been placed on highlights that you don't want the effects rendered on. A single click over a light source center will disable the effect. If you click and drag you can select an entire area in which to disable effects. Holding down the Alt key then clicking the mouse will allow you re-show accidentally hidden effects.

Keyboard Shortcuts: [ + ] selects the Effect Revealing mode, [ Alt ] modifies operation

After selecting the + tool, the cursor is changed to a "+ crosshair", which can be used to show spikes on light sources that fall below the selected threshold or have previously been hidden. If you click and drag you can select an entire area in which to affect the spike effects. Holding down the Alt key then clicking the mouse will allow you to re-hide accidentally revealed effects.

Keyboard Shortcuts: [ D ] selects the display, then [ Arrows ] and [ Pg Up ] / [ Pg Dn ] scroll, [ Ctrl ] modifies scrolling; [ Home ] and [ End ] jump to corners

The effects to be rendered in the image are previewed in the preview display viewport, and are updated upon any control change. When you like what you see, press the [OK] button to commit the StarFilter Pro 2 effects back to the image in your editor.

At the bottom of the preview display viewport are several controls that will allow you to select a zoom level at which to view the preview of the rendered effects. The current level of zoom is displayed as a percentage.

Keyboard Shortcuts: [ Ctrl + ] zooms in, [ Ctrl - ] zooms out

The [-] and [+] buttons at the left will zoom the display out and in respectively by one pre-defined step.

Keyboard Shortcuts: [ V ] pops up the zoom selection menu, then [ Up Arrow ] and [ Down Arrow ] and [ Enter ] to change

Mouse Shortcuts: Right Click in the preview display pops up the zoom selection menu, then Left Click on an entry to change

The [v] button just to the right of the zoom percentage display pops up a zoom selection menu, which you can use to choose from a variety of presets.

Keyboard Shortcuts: [ T ] activates the Settings drop-down, then [ Up Arrow ] and [ Down Arrow ] to change

"Default Settings" are defaults provided for first use of the plug-in. "Initial Settings" return all controls to the saved settings from the last plug-in run, which are loaded by default when the plug-in starts

Allows you to select pre-defined sets of parameters. Parameter sets can be saved via the Save, Load and Delete Parameter Sets menu icon just to the right of the Settings selector and described below.

Keyboard Shortcuts: [ M ] activates the file access menu, then [ Up Arrow ] and [ Down Arrow ] to change, [ Return ] to do

Allows you to save, load, or delete named sets of parameters in the parameter storage area on your hard drive. The "Delete Settings" choice is available after you have selected a named set via the Settings control.

Keyboard Shortcut: [ : ] activates the drop-down, then [ Up Arrow ] and [ Down Arrow ] to change

Pro Edition Only - This selector allows you to choose from a number of pre-programmed effects: Standard Star, Star Burst, Hyper Star, etc. Some of these effects emulate standard glass filters and some are unique to this plug-in.

Keyboard Shortcut: [ O ] disables / enables inclusion of the original image with the effect

Pro Edition Only - This checkbox allows you to see and generate the effect alone or combined with the original image. It is useful if you have duplicated the image as a new layer and are planning to creatively combine the effects yourself using, for example, the layer mixing features of the image editor.

Keyboard Shortcuts: [ H ] selects this control, then [ Up Arrow ] and [ Down Arrow ] change values, [ Ctrl ] causes change by larger amount

This slider / edit box combination allows you to choose more or fewer of the automatically detected light sources in the image for display of effects. With the control to the left, only the brighter light sources will be shown. The intention is that you get close to the right set of light sources showing effects by using the Quantity slider first, then use the Hide and Show tools to make exactly the set of effects you want shown.

Keyboard Shortcuts: [ I ] selects this control, then [ Up Arrow ] and [ Down Arrow ] change values, [ Ctrl ] causes change by larger amount

This slider / edit box combination allows you adjust the brightness at which the effects are rendered. Often a subtle level of effects can make a most powerful impact.

Keyboard Shortcuts: [ L ] selects this control, then [ Up Arrow ] and [ Down Arrow ] change values, [ Ctrl ] causes change by larger amount

This control sets the length of the main and secondary spikes as well as the size of the Soft Flare.

Keyboard Shortcuts: [ A ] selects this control, then [ Up Arrow ] and [ Down Arrow ] change values, [ Ctrl ] causes change by larger amount

This control sets the angle of the spikes as they emanate from the light source. 0 degrees is straight up, and positive values rotate the effects clockwise.

Pro Edition Only - For high accuracy, the angle is adjustable in 0.1 degree increments.

Keyboard Shortcuts: [ N ] selects this control, then [ Up Arrow ] and [ Down Arrow ] change values, [ Ctrl ] causes change by larger amount

This control sets the number of primary diffraction spikes that radiate from the light source. Odd numbers, though not possible optically, are provided to give you extra creative control. Some of the filter effects do interesting things with differing numbers of points. The Religious Cross effect, for example, adds points so as to make a fuller cross.

Pro Edition Only - The control provides up to 32 primary diffraction spikes, allowing for more spectacular effects.

Keyboard Shortcuts: [ S ] selects this control, then [ Up Arrow ] and [ Down Arrow ] change values, [ Ctrl ] causes change by larger amount

This control allows you to match the sharpness of the subject material in the image by making the spikes more crisp or fuzzy, yielding a very natural looking result when properly matched to the image.

Keyboard Shortcuts: [ C ] selects this control, then [ Up Arrow ] and [ Down Arrow ] change values, [ Ctrl ] causes change by larger amount

This control sets the overall amount of color from the light source that will be rendered in the effects. It affects spikes, secondary spikes, and soft flare. The rainbow effect can be controlled separately with the Rainbow Intensity control, listed below.

Keyboard Shortcuts: [ R ] selects this control, then [ Up Arrow ] and [ Down Arrow ] change values, [ Ctrl ] causes change by larger amount

Pro Edition Only - This control sets the amount of the repeating multicolored "rainbow" pattern in the primary and secondary spikes. Some solid color can remain in the spikes due to the detected color of the light source even with this control turned all the way down.

Keyboard Shortcuts: [ F ] selects this control, then [ Up Arrow ] and [ Down Arrow ] change values, [ Ctrl ] causes change by larger amount

Pro Edition Only - This control sets the rate at which the multicolored "rainbow" pattern repeats. Optically, higher focal length lenses often produce a more gradually repeating pattern, and you can use this control to closely match optical results.

Keyboard Shortcuts: [ E ] selects this control, then [ Up Arrow ] and [ Down Arrow ] change values, [ Ctrl ] causes change by larger amount

Pro Edition Only - This control sets the intensity of the additional faint and fuzzy pseudo-random spikes near the light source. To some extent these secondary spikes can seem to be a glow, especially if the Sharpness is turned down.

Keyboard Shortcuts: [ Y ] selects this control, then [ Up Arrow ] and [ Down Arrow ] change values, [ Ctrl ] causes change by larger amount

This control sets the intensity of the soft glow around a light source. It can provide a cleaner, smoother overall appearance than the Secondary Spikes.

Keyboard Shortcut: [ W ] toggles preview on / off

This checkbox allows you to see your image alternately with or without the generated effects. Toggling the preview off/on is a good way to gauge the effects being rendered by StarFilter Pro 2.

You can grab the diagonal dialog resize control at the lower-right corner, or indeed any side or corner of the dialog, to resize it per your preference. Note that larger dialog sizes require more computer resources to render preview displays, so smaller sizes may yield faster display updates. Once you have run the dialog successfully (i.e., exited via the [OK] button) StarFilter Pro 2 will remember where you left it and what size it was and start there next time you run it.

Open the About dialog by clicking the [Help and Support] button or the small banner icon near the top with the three star effects on it, then click the [Configure Options] button. This will allow you to set the interval in days between checks for new releases online. You can set the value to 0 to have the software check for a newly released version every time you run it, and you can disable the online check entirely if you prefer by unchecking the checkbox. Only activated software will check for new releases.