Visible solar flares (updated)

A simple and very lightweight lens flare texture enhancer that makes the sun's lens flare more noticeable without changing or illuminating the sun itself. Recommended for anyone who likes to improve the appearance of vanilla.

Updated on July 22:

Hello, I'm back again!

This mod has been updated so it now only requires a *.esp file and does not involve any textures. The reason for this is because some people don't like the lens flare on other light sources being affected as well, which is understandable and I agree. The previous version looked good with some additional light sources, but I found several light sources that it didn't have (e.g. large explosions on a dark night). This new version only affects the sun (as originally intended) and avoids me having to recompress the texture. It also allows for more fine-tuning; now, the viewing angle is slightly wider and the opacity is slightly lower. I also added a centered glare effect so that when you look directly at the sun, the entire screen lights up (like in many other games). I personally really like this effect, but for those who don't, there is an optional version available.

Install:

Make sure to enable mods first as described in the following link:

Use your favorite mod manager, or manually drag and drop the *.esp file into your Fallout 4\Data folder. Then enable the mod from the mods menu.

If updating from a previous version, please first delete the following files: ...\Fallout 4\Data\Textures\Effects\LensFlares\GlowCircle01_d.dds...\Fallout 4\Data\Textures\Effects\LensFlares\LensHexShape01_d.dds...\Fallout 4\Data\Textures\Effects\LensFlares\LensHexShape02_d.dds...\Fallout 4\Data\Textures\Effects\LensFlares\LensSoftReflectionRound01_d.dds

Not removing them won't cause any harm, but the results won't look as expected. Feel free to delete the LensFlares folder if it ends up empty after deleting files.

uninstall:

Use your favorite mod manager, or manually disable the mod and delete the files. Add, remove or replace at any time, completely securely.

compatibility:

Very nice and tolerant, but not sure. Should work on most versions of the game, but it hasn't been tested with next-gen updates. It's also not known how it interacts with ENB, and may override other mods that change the sun lens flare entry, depending on the order. Very easy to delete if a conflict occurs.

What this module does:

It makes the sun's lens flare more pronounced and noticeable.

What this mod does not do:

Unlike other mods, this mod does not increase the initial glare, making the sun brighter, nor does it change the sun itself, just its lens flare. It has no impact on Divine Light and will not fix any bugs in the original game. No cells, image spaces, or weather are edited.

Previous version:

A little bothered by the almost invisible sun lens flare that ruins the summery feel you get on sunny days in movies? Worried that the more advanced weather and sun overhaul mods might have more changes than you bargained for? Don’t worry because this one will make things easier.

This mod only provides four small textures; those that make up the lens will be affected by solar flares. The textures themselves are derived from Bethesda's default textures, but tuned to the perfect pinnacle of my personal preferences. I compared them to hundreds of photos and shots of actual lens flares, other mods, and my own observations to get them just right. Subtle, but undeniably noticeable.

Install:

Make sure to enable the mod first as described in the following link:

No mod manager is needed for this one, as it's just four loose files. Drag and drop the downloaded archive contents into your Fallout 4 folder. The final result should look like this:

*...\Fallout 4\Data\Textures\Effects\LensFlares\GlowCircle01_d.dds...\Fallout 4\Data\Textures\Effects\LensFlares\LensHexShape01_d.dds...\Fallout 4\Data\Textures\Effects\LensFlares\LensHexShape02_d.dds...\Fallout 4\Data\Textures\Effects\LensFlares\Le …