  We analyze the influence of different recombination scenarios, involving one
or two centers, on high-order harmonic generation (HHG) in diatomic molecules,
for different values of the internuclear separation. We work within the
strong-field approximation, and employ modified saddle-point equations, in
which the structure of the molecule is incorporated. We find that the
two-center interference patterns, attributed to high-order harmonic emission at
spatially separated centers, are formed by the quantum interference of the
orbits starting at a center $C_{j}$ and finishing at a different center $C_{\nu
}$ in the molecule with those starting and ending at a same center $C_{j}.$
Within our framework, we also show that contributions starting at different
centers exhibit different orders of magnitude, due to the influence of
additional potential-energy shifts. This holds even for small internuclear
distances. Similar results can also be obtained by considering single-atom
saddle-point equations and an adequate choice of molecular prefactors.
