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This isn't really a complaint or anything just a post so that people might see it and gain a bit of useful info... I don't know if its meant to be this way but..

If you render Reflections, THEN render Hard Shadows... The hard shadow will erase your reflection calculations.

So you want to do your hard shadow reflections BEFORE you do your reflection calculations.

Maybey a good note for the FAQ.

EDIT: I just realized also that moving the gamma slider or anything in the lighting tab will also wipe your reflection pass.

Yep, that's the way reflects are, only get one shot.  Make sure you have everything set the way you want them before you run them. That includes DoF if you are going to use it, set it up before doig Reflects, you only get one shot at DoF after reflects. Of course after the first time I lost 2 hours of reflects render time I learned when messing with reflections, save the original Render in an M3i file so if you do screw up you don't have to re render the original.

There is a warning in the Postprocessing window:

<<Caution:
- the effect below (Reflections and DoF) are not stored in a M3i file
- Processings must be done in the order from top to bottom, steps beneath are lost
- The light+color settings must be adjusted before, else they reset these processings
>>

I've seen where the Shadow Depth and it appears overall Gamma will change on a Full size Hi Res Render While experimenting with Reflects on just selected sections, it's a "What the F#!k just happened" moments. Redoing Shadows or adjusting Gamma doesn't get back the original, that's why I save m3i after Render before playing with Reflects.

You are absolutly right bib! and I actually have read that and somehow it slipped out of my mind... I am getting old lol : )

This is a smart idea which I will take into my procedure... I never saved before effects, but it only takes a second and might save a lot of time!  Thank you for the tip!