StarFilter Pro

StarFilter Pro is an approachable and user-friendly program that can be integrated as a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop, Corel PaintShop or other compatible picture editors. It's set by default to automatically detect the best locations where the spikes should be, while you can play with their number, colors, and glow intensity.

During the installation process, you can choose what the tool in which the plug-in should be incorporated. StarFilter Pro can be found in the "Filter" menu. It's wrapped in a clean and accessible layout, coming with several sliders for the spikes attributes, and a preview area, located on the left side of the window.

To start, just open the program and the picture, and access the app from the menu. A new panel is brought up, where you can view your selected image. To change the values, just drag the sliders or manually type them.   From the configuration, it's possible to pick the layout appearance, enable the highlight analysis (manual, automatic), and select the proper OpenGL options.

The elements are nicely structured into separate sections, namely main diffraction spikes, effects color, and secondary filters. You have the option to adjust the quantity of stars, intensity, length, the number of points, angle, and sharpness. Plus, the app lets you choose the effect you want to bring, such as hyper, Hollywood, North, and South star, as well as star burst.

You can correct the saturation, hue, rainbow intensity and frequency, as well as the soft and ring flare power. It's possible to zoom in to view small details, and move the photo to the desired area. If you want a simpler look, you can opt to see only the effects and disable the preview window.

Taking everything into account, StarFilter Pro is a fun and simple utility that comes as a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop and other compatible image processors. It provides easy ways to generate glowing stars on your pictures, by detecting the proper location.