Nodes¶

Oak uses a node-based compositing and effects system. Every clip, effect, transition, and compositing operation is represented as a node in the node graph. By connecting node inputs and outputs, you can flexibly control video and audio.

Node Graph Basics¶

• Node: The smallest processing unit. A node has several inputs and produces an output through its own computation.

• Input / Output: A node’s output can feed another node’s input. After connecting, data flows downstream frame by frame.

• Context: Sequences, Tracks, Blocks, and NodeGroups can all act as contexts, used to organize and frame a group of nodes. Double-clicking a clip enters that clip’s node context.

• Keyframes: Most numeric, color, and vector inputs can vary over time using keyframe animation.

Common Built-in Node Categories¶

Project / Media / Timeline¶

Node	Purpose
Footage	References an external media file; the starting point for most clips.
Sequence	The timeline object, containing video, audio, and subtitle tracks.
Track	A container for same-type tracks, mixing all clips on it.
Clip	A media block on the timeline.
Gap	An empty block used as a placeholder.
Subtitle	A subtitle block.
Merge	Composites two texture layers.

Generators¶

Node	Purpose
Solid	Generates a solid-color image.
Text	Generates a text layer.
Polygon / Shape	Generates vector shapes.
Noise	Generates a noise texture.
Value	Outputs float, integer, vector, color, or matrix values.

Geometry / Distort¶

Node	Purpose
Transform	Position, rotation, scale, anchor, auto-scale, interpolation.
Crop	Crops the image.
Flip	Flips horizontally or vertically.
Corner Pin	Four-corner distortion.
Mask	Creates and feathers a mask.
Wave / Ripple / Tile / Swirl	Various distortion effects.

Color / Grading¶

Node	Purpose
OCIO LUT	Loads and applies .cube / .3dl LUT files.
Three-Way Color	Shadow / Midtone / Highlight color wheels.
OCIO Grading Primary (Linear)	Contrast / Offset / Exposure / Saturation controls.
Display Transform	Explicit Display / View / Direction conversion.

Transitions¶

Node	Purpose
Cross Dissolve	Fades between two clips.
Dip to Color	Transitions to a chosen color.

Filters / Keying¶

Node	Purpose
Blur	Box / Gaussian / Directional / Radial blur.
Mosaic	Pixelates the image.
Stroke / Drop Shadow	Outline and shadow effects.
Chroma Key	Color-based keying.
Color Difference Key	Finer keying control.
Despill	Removes green-screen spill.

Math / Time / Audio¶

Node	Purpose
Math	Performs arithmetic on inputs.
Trigonometry	Trigonometric operations.
Time Input / Time Remap / Time Offset	Control time-related animation or remap clip time.
Volume	Adjusts audio volume.
Pan	Adjusts left/right channel balance.

Working in the Node Editor¶

Adding Nodes¶

• Right-click on empty space in the Node Editor → Add, then choose a category and node.

• You can also drag footage from the Footage Manager directly into the Node Editor to create a Footage node automatically.

Connecting and Disconnecting¶

• Drag from a node’s output port to another node’s input port to create a connection.

• Drag an existing connection’s input end to empty space to disconnect.

• Drop a new node onto an existing connection to insert it automatically.

Selecting and Moving¶

• Box selection, Ctrl / Shift multi-selection.

• Arrow keys nudge the selected node position.

Expanding and Collapsing¶

• Node items can be expanded to show all connectable inputs.

• Array inputs (such as a Track’s Blocks input) show each element when expanded.

Grouping¶

• Select multiple nodes → right-click → Group to create a NodeGroup.

• The group exposes input passthroughs and an output passthrough; double-click to edit inside.

• Right-click the group → Ungroup to restore the original layout.

Deleting¶

• Select a node or connection and press Delete.

• Deleting a node automatically disconnects all its connections.

Keyframes¶

• In the Param Editor, the circle next to a parameter toggles keyframing.

• Once keyframing is enabled, moving the playhead and changing the parameter records a keyframe.

• Keyframe types include Linear, Hold, and Bezier.

• The Curve Editor panel provides finer control over keyframe curves.

OpenFX Plugin Nodes¶

Oak 0.3+ supports OpenFX (OFX) plugins:

• On startup, Oak scans the OFX plugin path and registers ImageEffectPlugin instances as nodes.

• OFX plugins appear in the Add menu grouped by category.

• OFX parameters are automatically mapped to Oak types (integer, float, boolean, color, vector, choice, button, etc.).

• In the node graph, OFX plugin nodes show only texture inputs to keep the node compact; adjust scalar parameters in the Param Editor.

• The project file records plugin identifiers and paths; plugins are registered before nodes are instantiated on load.

Node Presets and Copying¶

• Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V copies selected nodes along with their dependency subgraph.

• There is currently no standalone node preset library; use copy/paste or pack effects into a NodeGroup for reuse.

Limitations and Notes¶

• kPushButton parameters are not yet wired to real plugin actions (OFX button parameters are displayed only).

• OFX audio-generator / frame-generator plugins are not fully supported.

• The Node Editor can display at most 10 contexts at once.

• OCIO-based color nodes require a valid project color-management configuration.