did you read my post #51 ? duplicate, rotate 90%, repeat....

#2ton
another hint: if you start with a subject filled with a texture having many contrasting color pieces, you get much more rays, look:
input:

output of rays (default parameters):


then you may play with modes and combine

... a combination of previous two images, filling the head with color/pattern

Dalia, very nice outcome. I love it.
Dinasset, good research. All that we can help in this light ray filter is great help. I don't know if my previous settings have helped. Anyway I understand the behaviour in central rays with the object in the centre, too.
My current aim is to understand the directions of the ray when the object is placed in corners. I'm happy I start to understand it.
Here my result.

this is really nice, Issabella !

Thank so much Dinasset. I'm going to write soon my settings and directions of light rays when the object isn't in the centre of the canvas.

I've finished my second tutorial to explain how light rays behave when the objects aren't in the centre of the canvas. I hope it can help you a little.
I can't upload my xcf file as it is too heavy (8.58 MB).

Issabella, your images are beautiful and your tutorials are very organized and well written. Thank you for your time and effort you put into helping others.

Still cannot get a handle on this. I only could manage a small width of rays, and had to keep making new copies and rotating 20 degrees each time in order to get a full circle. There must be a better way! Also the render is not good, neither my foreground select tool, nor the Gmic version will work. I resorted to the old black and white to layer mask way.

Pat, thank you so much for your commentary. I'm happy if it can be useful.
2-ton that little girl is an angel. Nice outcome.

Still trying...

Thanks for your comment and your xcf file. Nice one on yours Wallace.

good idea, Wallace, I applied it on the "trees image" of Issabella

excellent, Dalia

Nice!

Ooooh, love it used to enhance the natural light!

Well, this isn't too bad but it's not what I was trying to do, lol. I wanted some heavy rays and a few light rays to come from the pencil point, and had to move layers of rays around to get them to radiate from where I wanted, never did figure out how to get some fat rays and some bright thin rays.


Argh, definitely not what I was trying to do. I need a slider map, as the end result is not that much like what the preview shows. I also cannot seem to find a setting that lets only the rays get the colors, and often some of the rays come out gray.