This works for me in Photoshop CC

[Abitconfused]

Open any high-resolution image and create a new layer by clicking the “Create a new layer” icon at the bottom of the Layers panel, left but upwind, of the trashcan icon. Name the layer “Lens Filter” by double-clicking over the title in the layer and entering your text. Select the “Elliptical Marquee tool” from the Tools Pallet (second from the top). Using the Marquee options, “Feather” it by about 10 pixels. Now, while holding down the “shift” key drag a big oval marquee in the new layer, releasing when the marquee is nice and big. Holding down the shift key constrains the oval to a circle. Don’t like how it turned out? Click inside the marque. It will go away. Do you see the “marching ants” on the perimeter of the selection? This indicates an active selection. Do you want to save the ants, that is, the selection? Yes you do. Go to “Select > Save Selection” and save the selection for later use. Selections can become quite complex and saving them will allow you to recover them if things go wrong and the selection disappears. This will save you lots of time.

With the new layer active, double-click the “Background Color” in the Tools Panel to bring up Photoshop’s “Color Picker.” Select a light blue or enter the color I chose (dcdaf7) into the Hexadecimal space under the RGB listings (which for this color is: R: 204, B: 204, G: 255). Select the “Paintbrush Tool” and paint this color into the marque. Go to “Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur” and move the slider almost all the way to the right or until the color begins to appear transparent. Select the “Gradient Tool” from halfway down the Tools Panel and select “Radial Gradient” as an option. Drag the radial gradient from the center of the marque toward the edge of the marque to make a pleasing two-toned (blue and white) gradient fill. Click the marque to dismiss the marching ants or go to “Select > Deselect” to accomplish the same task.

Be certain the “Lens Filter” layer is active. To the left of “Opacity” in the Layers Pallet is a drop down selection for layer “Blending Modes.” The default, blending mode is “Normal” in a new layer. Click the down arrow and select “Multiply” for the Lens Filter layer. You now have a “lens filter” that you can move within your image. Select the “Move Tool” at the top of the Tools Pallet. Being certain that the Lens Filter layer is active than push and hold the “Shift” key and repeatedly hit any of your keyboard’s four “Arrow” keys. This will move the selection. Move the selection in micro steps by just hitting the “Arrow” keys. Remember to select the “Move” tool at the top of the Tools Panel for this function to work.

You can also move the Lens Layer with a click and hold as long as the Move Tool is active. Remember a layer must be active for you to work within it. Do you want to change the appearance of your lens filter? Yes, you do! Click the icon for the Curves Adjustment Layer and be certain the layer is just above the Lens Filter layer. Hold “alt” and click on the boundary between the two layers. You have “clipped” the Curves Adjustment Layer to the Lens Filter Layer. Congratulations! You have made a “Clipping Mask.” An honorary degree is in order! I observed that my Lens Filter has developed an opaque edge since I adjusted it in Curves. Perhaps you Lens Filter has this also. To remedy this, I went to “Select > Load Selection” and my marque came back. I then went to “Select > Modify > Contract” and shrunk the marque around the lens by 20 pixels and went to “Select > Inverse” to, literally, work outside the box. Next, I used the “Eraser Tool,” with the marque still active, and erased everything outside the marque. There it looks better. Now I have a Lens filter that I can move anywhere in my image to change it just a little bit. You want to change the color of your lens don’t you? If you add a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer and it should clip above the clipped Curves layer. Now you can slide color sliders to change colors.

[Manfred M]

Ed - I'm really not sure what you are doing here and some images of what you had started with and the end product would be a lot clear (I hope) that this long description.

Clipping mask are a tool I use all the time.

[Polar01]

Ed, I am with Manfred, would be nice to see what you started with and what you finished with.

Cheers: Allan

[Abitconfused]

Places a small warming spot...

Before



After



Well sort of...

[Manfred M]

Get a large and very soft large brush set to yellow colour and 5% flow.

Create new blank layer and click on it a couple of times. Dial back opacity of top layer if required.





It seems to take a lot less time and effort to do it and explain it than your approach...

[Abitconfused]

Well, of course, now that you mention it!

[Manfred M]

The nice thing about Photoshop is there are many different ways to tackle an edit.