Embossing (pre-process surface component)

I think that what you mean is that you want an emboss component that could do it WITHOUT using the surface filter, because you can´t add any other components and keep processing the image AFTER the results component.

I have requested an alternative replacement to the results component so you could use all the many emboss filters available WITHOUT having to use the results component as the end of the filter and so you could keep processing the image

Add new component emulating the "surface type" of the result component

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Austy51 But what I am asking for here is something that is not the same as the surface component, but still can render a height map just in a more simple way.

I think that maybe is possible to make an emboss effect that can be done WITHOUT using the surface results component, because I have made this Heavy Snow filter that includes some kind of emboss and lighting using a height map AND it does not use the surface results component

With this filter to lower the amount of "Snow" or emboss, the easiest way is to use the "Size,pixels" slider at the bottom, as this will reduce much the overall effect, there is another way modifying the settings to get a low effect.

Maybe there are other alternative ways to get the effect you want using the surface result

I saw what you did with that filter, and I can see that as being an effective way of getting that result. I spent some time messing around today and I came up with a few different ways using mainly RGB math. (BTW I don't know hot to script that well, but I imagine it would not be difficult to reproduce these methods with a script component)

I also uploaded a snippet filter to look at. It is called Emboss Snippet, and it shows all the methods I used. It probably isn't on the site yet.

this first image is of the surface filter



This is a method I used using a slanted gradient and a refraction comp. But is creates a light and dark area in the corners



And this is the best method so far. I used ArcTangent2 and had one input be the image and the other be a very slight offset of the image. It still doesn't look like the surface component, but it does closely relate to the Photoshop emboss filter, which is the look I originally wanted.



I have more methods I used in the snippet, but these are the best.
Overall it would still make it easier just to make this into an independent component. Which is why this post was on the wishlist to begin with.