Composite nodes create, filter, and manipulate image data. You can use compositing networks to edit textures, post-process rendered frames, or perform any other image manipulation in Houdini and make the image data available to other nodes.
Compositing node flags
| Display flag | Controls whether the node’s image sequence appears in the viewer. You can set the display flag on multiple nodes by Shift-clicking the flag. |
| Render flag | Controls which node’s output is the output for a compositing subnetwork or digital asset . Only one node in a network can have the render flag set. |
| Template flag | Specifies that the displayed image sequence should be compared to the output of this node. |
| Thumbnail flag | Instead of the standard node icon the node tile displays a
thumbnail version of the node’s output. Press If you choose “Follow” in the preview menu, the thumbnail uses the preview plane of its first input. This lets you change the change the preview plane of long chains of nodes by changing the preview plane of the first node in the chain. If the node has no inputs, “Follow” uses the first plane. |
| Bypass flag | The node passes the input through to the output unmodified (the node has no effect). |
Nodes
 | Add | Adds two images together. |
 | Anaglyph | Creates an anaglyph from a pair of input images. |
 | Atop | Composites the first input (Foreground) over the second (background), but only where the background alpha exists. |
 | Average | Averages the foreground image and the background image. |
 | Blend | Blends frames from two sequences together using a simple linear blend. |
 | Blur | Blurs an image. |
 | Border | Adds a border to the image. |
 | Bright | Applies a brightness factor and bright shift to the first input. |
 | Bump | Builds a bump map from a plane. |
 | Channel Copy | Copy channels from any of inputs into the output image. |
 | Chromakey | Mask or “key” an image based on its color. |
 | Color | Creates a constant color image. |
 | Color Correct | Applies a variety of color corrections to the image |
 | Color Curve | Adjusts the R,G,B and/or A channels based on a user-defined curve. |
 | Color Map | Maps a range of color to a new range. |
 | Color Replace | Replace a color region in an image with another region. |
 | Color Wheel | Generates a simple HSV color wheel. |
 | Composite | Does a composite (over, under, inside, add, etc) between two images. |
 | Contrast | Increases or decreases the contrast of an image. |
 | Convert | Changes the data format of a plane (i. |
 | Convolve | Performs a generic convolve on the source image. |
 | Corner Ramp | Generates a four corner ramp. |
 | Crop | Crops an image and changes its resolution. |
 | DSM Flatten | Flattens a Deep Shadow/Camera Map into a flat 2D raster. |
 | Defocus | Defocuses an image similar to a real camera defocus. |
 | Deform | Deforms an image by moving the underlying UV coordinates. |
 | Degrain | Removes film grain from an image. |
 | Deinterlace | De-interlaces a frame of video by either averaging scanlines or copying a scanline. |
 | Delete | Removes planes or components from an input sequence. |
 | Denoise | Removes white noise from an image. |
 | Depth Darken | Darkens depth boundaries in an image. |
 | Depth of Field | Creates a depth-of-field mask, which describes how out of focus parts of the image are. |
 | Diff | Computes the difference between the foreground image and the background image. |
 | Dilate/Erode | Expands and shrinks mattes. |
 | Edge | Detects edges in the input image. |
 | Edge Blur | Blurs the edges of an image. |
 | Emboss | Adds a lighting effect to the image by using a bump map. |
 | Environment | Applies an environment map to an image. |
 | Equalize | Equalizes colors by stretching or shifting the image histogram. |
 | Expand | Expands and shrinks mattes. |
 | Extend | Extends the length of a sequence so that it can be animated beyond its frame range. |
 | Fetch | Fetches a sequence of images from another COP, even in another network. |
 | Field Merge | Merges two fields into one Interlaced Frame. |
 | Field Split | Splits an interlaced frame into two fields per frame (odd and even fields). |
 | Field Swap | Swaps the two fields containing the even and odd scanlines of the frame. |
 | File | Loads image files into Houdini. |
 | Flip | Flips the image horizontally and/or vertically. |
 | Fog | Adds a variety of atmospheric effects to an image, including fog, haze and heat waves. |
 | Font | Renders anti-aliased text. |
 | Front Face | Cleans up flipped normals by making them face the camera. |
 | Function | Performs a variety of mathematical functions on the input image. |
 | Gamma | Applies gamma correction to the image. |
 | Geokey | Keys out parts of the image based on pixel position or normal direction. |
 | Geometry | Renders geometry from a SOP as a single color image. |
 | Gradient | Computes the gradient of an image. |
 | Grain | Adds grain to an image. |
 | HSV | Converts between RGB and HSV color spaces, or applies hue and saturation modifications. |
 | Hue Curve | Adjusts the saturation or luminance of the image based on hue. |
 | Illegal Pixel | Detects illegal pixels, like NAN and INF, in images. |
 | Inside | Restricts the foreground color to the area of the background’s alpha matte. |
 | Interleave | Interleaves image sequences. |
 | Invert | Applies a photographic pixel inversion to the image. |
 | Layer | Layers a series of inputs together by compositing them one by one on the background image (input 1). |
 | Levels | Adjusts black point, white point, and midrange to increase, balance, or decrease contrast. |
 | Lighting | Adds a light to the image. |
 | Limit | Limits the pixel range at the high end, low end or both. |
 | Lookup | Applies a lookup table to the input. |
 | Luma Matte | Sets the alpha to the luminance of the color. |
 | Lumakey | Keys the image based on luminance (or similar function). |
 | Mask | Masks out an area of an image. |
 | Max | Outputs the maximum value of the foreground and background images for each pixel, which tends to lighten the image. |
 | Median | Applies a 3 x 3 or 5 x 5 median filter to the input image. |
 | Merge | Merges the planes of several inputs together. |
 | Min | Outputs the minimum value of the foreground and background images for each pixel, which tends to darken the image. |
 | Mono | Converts a color or vector into a scalar quantity, like luminance or length. |
 | Mosaic | Takes a sequence of images and combines them into 1 image by tiling them. |
 | Multiply | Multiplies the foreground image with the background image. |
 | Noise | Generates continuous noise patterns. |
 | Null | Does nothing. |
 | Outside | Restricts the foreground color to the area outside of the background’s alpha matte. |
 | Over | Composites the first input (Foreground) over the second (background). |
 | Pin | Fits an image into an arbitrary quadrilateral. |
 | Pixel | Modifies an image’s pixels using expressions. |
 | Premultiply | Allows colour to be converted to or from a premultiplied form. |
 | Pulldown | Performs a pulldown (cine-expand) on the input sequence. |
 | Pushup | Performs a pushup (cine-expand) on the input sequence. |
 | Quantize | Quantizes input data into discrete steps. |
 | ROP File Output | Renders frames out to disk. |
 | Radial Blur | Does a radial or angular blur. |
 | Ramp | Generates a variety of linear and radial ramps, which are fully keyframable. |
 | Reference | Copies the sequence information from its input. |
 | Rename | Change the name a plane. |
 | Render | Renders a mantra output driver directly into a composite network. |
 | Reverse | Simply reverses the frames in the sequence. |
 | Rotoshape | Draws one or more curves or shapes. |
 | Scale | Changes the resolution of the image. |
 | Screen | Adds two images together, saturating at white like photographic addition. |
 | Sequence | Sequences two or more inputs end to end. |
 | Shape | Generates simple shapes, such as circles, stars and regular N-sided polygons. |
 | Sharpen | Sharpens an image by enhancing the contrast of edges. |
 | Shift | Shifts an image sequence in time. |
 | Shuffle | Shuffle frames around to do out-of-order editing. |
 | Sky environment map | Creates sky and ground images for use as environment maps. |
 | Snip | Either removes frames from a sequence or allows you to order them in a user-defined order. |
 | Still | Load a single image file. |
 | Streak Blur | Streaks an image, adding a motion blur effect. |
 | Subnetwork | Contains networks of other COPs. |
 | Subtract | Subtracts the foreground image from the background image. |
 | Swap | Swap any two channels. |
 | Switch | Passes the input of one of its connected inputs through, acting like an exclusive switch. |
 | Switch Alpha | Replaces input 1’s alpha with input 2’s alpha. |
 | System | Runs an external program and writes the image data to its STDIN. |
 | Tile | Tiles the image sequence with multiple copies of the input image. |
 | Time Filter | Blurs a pixel through several frames. |
 | Time Machine | Uses a second input to time warp the first input on a per pixel basis. |
 | Time Scale | Stretches or compresses a sequence in time. |
 | Time Warp | Warps time by slowing or speeding it up throughout the sequence. |
 | Transform | Translates, rotates and/or scales the input image without changing the image resolution. |
 | Trim | Trims an input sequence in time by adjusting the beginning or the end of the sequence. |
 | UV Map | Creates a UV map. |
 | Under | Composites the first input (Foreground) under the second (background). |
 | Unpin | Extracts an arbitrary quadrilateral area out of the input image. |
 | VEX Filter | Runs a VEX script on its input planes. |
 | VEX Generator | Runs a VEX script on the planes it generates. |
 | VOP COP2 Filter | Contains a VOP network that filters input image data. |
| VOP COP2 Generator | Contains a VOP network that generates image data. |
 | Vector | Performs vector operations on the input. |
 | Velocity Blur | Blurs an image by using pixel velocity to produce a motion blur effect. |
 | Window | Cuts a small window out of a larger image. |
 | Wipe | Does a wipe between two input sequences. |
 | Xor | Makes two elements mutually exclusive; if their alpha mattes overlap, the overlap is removed. |
 | Z Comp | Does a Z composite of two images. |