Position Lens Flare Interactively in GIMP

This guide provides a concise walkthrough on how to use the interactive on-canvas handles in GIMP to set the lens flare center coordinates directly on your image. By leveraging GIMP's GEGL-based preview tools, you can position the flare visually in real time instead of manually typing numerical X and Y coordinates into the settings dialog.

1. Open the Lens Flare Filter

With your target image and layer selected in GIMP, navigate to the top menu and select Filters > Light and Shadow > Lens Flare.... The filter dialog window will open, and a default flare will appear over your canvas.

2. Locate the On-Canvas Handle

When the Lens Flare dialog is open and the Preview checkbox is enabled, GIMP activates an interactive control directly over the image canvas. Look for a crosshair or point handle positioned at the default center of the flare effect on your image.

3. Move the Flare Center Interactively

You can reposition the center coordinates using two interactive methods:

• Click and Drag: Hover your cursor directly over the center handle on the canvas until the cursor changes to an adjustment or grab icon. Click and drag the handle to your desired location.
• Direct Canvas Click: Click anywhere directly on your canvas. The center coordinate handle will immediately jump to the clicked point, and the flare effect will re-center itself around that exact location.

4. Fine-Tune and Confirm

As you adjust the handle on the canvas, the Center X and Center Y input fields inside the filter dialog will update automatically. You can use the arrow buttons beside those fields for single-pixel precision adjustments if needed. Once satisfied with the placement, click OK in the dialog to apply the flare to the layer.