With version 0.31 there is a new shading option called “blur shading”. It does create an image like a painter would do: at lower layers larger pixels and at the top layers the fine details. This helps to reduce noise and to create nice glowing effects on some images.
There are three parameters:
- radius: the radius of the “enlarged” pixels at the bottom layer in pixels (radius of 1 means no blur)
- fade: the amount of detail, should usually in the range 0.95 – 0.99 for good results and acceptable performance
- falloff: the glow radius of the pixels
The following image (plt click to enlarge) shows the effect of the parameters radius and falloff.

Just downloaded the program. The images aar with beautiful colors I use as backgrounds in ecards and wallpaper to send to family and friends.
FUN
Thanks for the feedback and have fun! 🙂