Photoshop LensFlare filter and it´s small window with no zoom

1In Photoshop, it seems there´s no way to zoom your picture in the too-small window of the LensFlare Filter. This is something annoying if you are trying to place a LensFlare in a specific point of a big picture, as you have absolutely no accuray in the placing point. Just an example:

Imaging you want to process the image on your left, a picture of the most spectacular beauty in the motor vehicle industry ;). The objective is to add the Audi LED Lights effect, using the LensFlare filter. You open the LensFlare window up, and you find something like this:

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There´s no single way to add the lens flare, one by one, with enough precission, as you cannot zoom in that window. So here is a simple way of fixing this:

1.- Activate the “Info” window, set your rulers to use “Pixels” as units, and keep the coordinates of the specific point where you want to add the LensEffect

2 2.- Go back to the LensFlare filter window, and use “Alt + click” instead of a simple click. A new window will appear where you can specify the lens flare coords. Et voilá, flare placed.

 

Maybe this second approach is even more useful:

1.- Create a new layer and paint it all black. Add the new lens flare in that layer, wherever you want.

2.- Change the kind of layer from “Normal” to “Screen”, so our lensflare is correctly blended with your background

3.- Now you can move and scale your lensflare as desired. You can even adjust it´s colors, exposure, brightness and contrast, everything.

 

This is the result of working this way:

 

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