# Compose a still with Cinematic Shot > Use the Nodespell Cinematic Shot Creative Tool to generate a still with named camera, lens, film stock, shot type, color look, and lighting choices. Source: https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/cinematic-shot/ · Last updated: 2026-11-10 Cinematic Shot is the Nodespell Creative Tool for generating a still image with the vocabulary of a camera department. You write the scene, then pick a camera character, lens, focal length, aperture, film stock, shot type, color look, and lighting from named lists with example images. Nodespell turns those choices into instructions for the selected image model and returns an image take. ## When should I use Cinematic Shot? Use Cinematic Shot when the look of the frame matters as much as its content and you would rather pick from named options than write photographic language yourself. | If you want to | Use | | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | | Set camera, lens, shot size, color look, and lighting as choices | Cinematic Shot | | Generate from a prompt with only the model's own settings | [Image Generator](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/image-generator/) | | Reframe an existing image as a new shot type | [Variations](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/variations/) | | Change lighting on an image you already have | [Relight](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/relight/) | ## Create a cinematic still 1. Open **Create**, select **All tools**, and choose **Cinematic Shot**. 2. Write the scene in the prompt: subject, setting, action. 3. Select the **Camera** button to open the camera dialog. Choose **Camera character**, **Lens character**, **Focal length**, **Aperture**, and **Film stock**. Point at an option to see an example image. 4. Under **Shot design**, choose **Shot type**, **Color look**, and **Lighting**. 5. Open **More cinematic controls** for **Motion blur**, **Grain**, **Halation**, and **Tonal response**. 6. Check the model card and the model's own settings, such as size, under **Output** and **More settings**. 7. Set **Generations** from 1 to 4, then select **Generate**. Every Cinematic Shot choice starts at **Standard**, which adds nothing for that setting. Change only the ones you care about. ## Cinematic Shot controls These controls belong to the tool and stay the same whichever model you choose. | Control | Section | What it sets | Options | | -------------------- | --------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Camera character** | **Camera** | The rendering character of a camera body | **Standard** or 15 named cameras, from ARRI ALEXA 35 and Sony VENICE 2 to Kodak Super 8, Holga 120N, and Fisher-Price PXL-2000 | | **Lens character** | **Camera** | Lens rendering, flare, and falloff | **Standard** or 17 lenses, such as Cooke S4/i, ARRI Master Anamorphic, Helios 44-2 58mm, and Lensbaby Sweet 50 | | **Focal length** | **Camera** | Field of view and perspective | **Standard**, 8mm fisheye, 14mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 135mm, 200mm, 300mm, 600mm | | **Aperture** | **Camera** | Depth of field | **Standard**, f/1.2, f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16 | | **Film stock** | **Camera** | Color and texture of a film stock | **Standard** or 21 stocks in five groups: Current professional cinema, Legacy professional cinema, Professional & editorial photography, Iconic & enthusiast, Black and white | | **Shot type** | **Shot design** | Framing and camera position | **Standard** or 23 options grouped as Shot size, Composition, Camera angle, and Viewpoint | | **Color look** | **Shot design** | Overall grade | **Standard** or 17 looks grouped as Natural & restrained, Stylized palette, and Photochemical & period | | **Lighting** | **Shot design** | Lighting style | **Standard** or 30 setups grouped as Natural, available & practical; Direction & texture; Contrast & mood; and Portrait patterns | | **Motion blur** | **More cinematic controls** | Movement in the frame | **Standard**, Frozen action, Natural motion blur, Strong motion blur, Long-exposure trails | | **Grain** | **More cinematic controls** | Film grain | **Standard**, Clean / nearly grainless, 65mm ultra-fine grain, 35mm fine grain, 35mm pronounced grain, Super 16 grain, 16mm coarse grain, Super 8 heavy grain, Pushed-process grain | | **Halation** | **More cinematic controls** | Glow around bright edges | **Standard**, None, Subtle edge halation, Classic red-orange halation, Warm amber halation, Broad soft halation, Dense crimson halation, Neon highlight halation | | **Tonal response** | **More cinematic controls** | Contrast and curve shape | **Standard**, Low contrast, Soft film contrast, Balanced contrast, Punchy contrast, Hard contrast, Lifted blacks, Soft highlight roll-off | Shot type options include Extreme close-up, Close-up, Medium shot, Cowboy shot, Wide shot, Establishing shot, Insert shot, Low angle, Overhead, Worm's-eye view, Dutch angle, Three-quarter view, Over-the-shoulder, and Point-of-view (POV). Equipment names are descriptive creative references; Nodespell is not affiliated with or endorsed by their owners. ## Which models work with Cinematic Shot? Cinematic Shot uses a fixed list of image models. It has no **Featured** section, so the picker opens on **All models**. | Model | Notes | | ------------------- | ------------------------ | | GPT Image 2 | Default | | Nano Banana 2 | Accepts reference images | | Nano Banana Pro | | | Seedream 5 Pro | | | Seedream 4.5 | | | Recraft V4.1 Pro | | | Ideogram V4 | | | Flux 2 Dev | | | RunwayML Gen4 Image | | ## How do the results change with the model? The Cinematic Shot choices are the same for every model, but each model interprets them in its own way, so the same settings give different images on different models. The rest of the form comes from the model. With GPT Image 2 you also set **Resolution** (1024 x 768 by default, up to 3840 x 2160, or Custom), **Output format** (PNG, JPEG, or WEBP), and **Quality** (Low, Medium, or High). Nano Banana 2 instead offers **Reference images**, **Aspect ratio**, and **Resolution**. > **Tip:** Named equipment and film stocks guide the model's style. They do not simulate the real optics or film chemistry exactly. ## Where does the image go? Selecting **Generate** adds a model node to the current Level of your graph and runs it. Each image is kept as a [take](https://docs.nodespell.com/graph/takes/) on that node and appears in **Results**. Nodespell stores your Cinematic Shot choices with the node, so selecting the node later brings them back in the composer. On the canvas, a Cinematic Shot node keeps the same controls in **Parameters**; see [Creative Tools on the canvas](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/on-the-canvas/). ## Common problems | Problem | What to do | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | A choice seems to have no effect | Some models follow style cues more loosely. Try another model or strengthen the prompt. | | The picker shows no **Featured** section | Expected: Cinematic Shot lists all its models under **All models**. | | **Show as Creative Tool** does not offer Cinematic Shot for a model node | Cinematic Shot is offered only for nodes that already hold Cinematic Shot settings. Add a new Cinematic Shot from the `Tab` menu instead. | ## Frequently asked questions ### What does Standard mean in Cinematic Shot? **Standard** leaves that aspect to the prompt and the model. Every Cinematic Shot control starts at **Standard**. ### Can I use reference images with Cinematic Shot? Yes, with a model that accepts them, such as Nano Banana 2. The default model, GPT Image 2, takes a prompt only. ### Does Cinematic Shot make video? No. Cinematic Shot returns a still image. To animate it, continue with [Image to Video](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/image-to-video/). ### Are the camera and lens names real equipment? They are names of real cameras, lenses, and film stocks, used as creative references for the model. Nodespell is not affiliated with their makers. ## Related - [Image Generator](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/image-generator/) — prompt-only image generation - [Variations](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/variations/) — reframe an existing image by shot type - [Relight](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/relight/) — redesign lighting on an image - [Choose a model](https://docs.nodespell.com/creative-tools/choose-a-model/) — compare the supported models - [Recipe: product shot](https://docs.nodespell.com/recipes/product-shot/) — a worked example