# Image filters and effects node map > A guided map of Nodespell image effect nodes: Denoise, blurs, glow, sharpening, generators, distortion, text, time and motion nodes, and where each works. Source: https://docs.nodespell.com/edit/filters-and-effects/ · Last updated: 2026-11-10 Image effect nodes in Nodespell are built-in nodes that filter, generate, distort or retime pictures on your GPU, in the browser, without using an AI model. Most work both in the ordinary Graph on still images and inside [compositors](https://docs.nodespell.com/edit/compositing/); time and motion nodes need a video Compositor. This page maps every family so you can find the right node. ## Where does each node work? | Where | What you can use | | --------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Graph (outside compositors) | Most filters, colour nodes and generators, on still images | | Image Compositor | The same, plus compositor-only nodes such as Text, Roto, STMap and Channel Displace | | Compositor (video) | Everything above, plus time and motion nodes | Inside a compositor the Tab menu lists only nodes that work there. To try an effect before adding it, select an image node and browse effects in the [Tab menu](https://docs.nodespell.com/graph/add-nodes/), which shows a preview against the source. ## Controls most effects share | Control | What it does | | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Mix** | Blends the result with the original image | | **Mask** input with **Mask Source**, **Invert Mask**, **Mask Mix** | Limits the effect to part of the image; see [Masks and keying](https://docs.nodespell.com/edit/masks-and-keying/) | | **Channels** | Chooses which RGBA channels the node writes; the rest pass through | | **Edges** | How blurs and distortions sample past the frame edge: **Clamp**, **Black**, **Wrap** or **Mirror** (options vary by node) | ## Clean up with Denoise **Denoise** removes noise and grain while keeping detail. It measures the noise, removes it with non-local means and a coarse pass for blotches, and puts back luma detail that stands above the noise. | Group | Controls | | ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **Strength** | **Auto strength** (on) sets strength from the measured noise. Turn it off to set **Luminance** (0.7), **Colour** (0.75) and **Smooth areas** (0.6). **Blotchy noise** (0.4) targets low-frequency mottling. **Quality** is **Fast (7 × 7 search)**, **Balanced (11 × 11 search)** (default) or **Best (17 × 17 search)** | | **Detail** | **Detail preservation** (0.8), **Detail recovery** (0.2), **Sharpen** (0) and **Grain re-injection** (0), which adds fresh fine grain to avoid a plastic look | | **Noise** | **Source**: **Auto (whole image)** uses the smoothest areas, **Measure region** measures a flat area you place, **Manual** uses **Luma noise** and **Colour noise** levels (standard deviation in 8-bit levels) | With **Measure region**, a **Noise region** box appears on the viewer. Place it on flat ground with no edges, texture or shadows; 80 × 80 pixels or more measures best. ## Filters | Node | What it does | Typical use | | ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------- | | **Blur** | Separable blur with **Quadratic**, **Triangle** or **Box** filter, **Radius** up to 200 px | General softening | | **Directional Blur** | Blur along an **Angle** over a **Distance** | Speed streaks, wind | | **Exponential Blur** | Blends several blurs of growing radius | Broad VFX-style softening and glow | | **Glow** | Thresholded glow with tint and **Blend** (**Screen**, **Add**, **Over**) | Light sources, emissive elements | | **Defocus**, **ZDefocus** | Lens blur with bokeh shapes, flat or depth-driven | See [Depth and defocus](https://docs.nodespell.com/edit/depth-and-defocus/) | | **Depth Atmosphere** | Haze, fog and diffusion from depth | See [Depth and defocus](https://docs.nodespell.com/edit/depth-and-defocus/) | | **Denoise** | Detail-preserving denoise and degrain | Cleaning AI or camera noise | | **Brilliance**, **Structure** | Local lighting and local contrast | See [Color correction](https://docs.nodespell.com/edit/color-correction/) | | **Sharpen** | Sharpening in LAB to avoid colour artefacts | Quick crispness | | **Unsharp Mask** | Sharpening with **Amount**, **Radius** and **Threshold** | Controlled sharpening | | **Grain** | Signal-dependent film grain with size and per-channel strength | Matching plates, adding texture | | **Opacity** | Changes alpha | Fades, transparency | | **Edge Detect** | Black-and-white edge map | Line mattes, stylised looks | | **Pixelate**, **Posterize** | Mosaic blocks; fewer colour levels | Stylised looks | | **Chromatic Aberration** | Colour fringing from a centre point | Lens realism | | **Vignette** | Darkens or colours the edges | Framing | ## Generators and text | Node | What it does | | -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Gradient** | Linear, Radial, Angular or Reflected gradients with extra colour stops | | **Noise** | Value, Perlin-like, Fractal or Cellular noise, animatable with **Evolution** | | **Checkerboard** | Checker pattern for alignment and distortion checks | | **Rectangle**, **Ellipse** | Antialiased shapes with stroke and edge fade, generated or overlaid; drag them in the compositor viewer | | **Fill** | Solid colour or gradient, or fill behind transparent areas | | **Create Image** | A new solid, checkerboard or UV-map image at a preset or custom size (Graph only) | | **STMap Generator** | An identity ST map (red is X, green is Y) | | **Text** | Styled text with font, wrapping, stroke, shadow and position (compositors only) | ## Distortion and layout | Node | What it does | | -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Transform** | Scale, move, rotate and skew; see [Transforms and crop](https://docs.nodespell.com/edit/transforms-and-crop/) | | **Lens Distortion** | Barrel or pincushion distortion | | **STMap** | Remaps pixels from UV coordinates in a map image (compositors only) | | **Channel Displace** | Offsets pixels using two channels of a displacement image (compositors only) | | **Tile**, **Mirror** | Repeat or flip the image | | **Contact Sheet** | Lays several images out in a grid (Graph only) | ## Time and motion (video Compositor only) | Node | What it does | | ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Time Offset** | Samples the stream earlier or later, in frames and seconds | | **Freeze Frame** | Holds one source frame | | **Reverse Time** | Plays a frame range backwards | | **Retime** | Changes speed, fits a target duration, or follows an animated source-frame curve; **Sampling** is **Nearest**, **Linear Blend** or **Optical Flow** | | **Optical Flow** | Calculates a motion-vector map from neighbouring frames | | **Motion Blur** | Flow-driven motion blur with **Shutter Angle** (default 180) | | **Camera Shake** | Procedural shake with presets **Handheld**, **Impact**, **Rumble** and **Micro Jitter** | ## Custom shaders **Shader Effect** applies your own realtime GLSL fragment shader to an image or compositor frame, with up to four passes. You can also ask the [Agent](https://docs.nodespell.com/agent/) to create or edit one with **Edit Shader Effect with Agent...** from the node's actions. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do effect nodes cost credits? No AI model is involved. Effect nodes render on your GPU in the browser. ### Why can't I find Retime or Camera Shake? Time and motion nodes appear only inside a video Compositor. Convert an Image Compositor to a video Compositor to use them. ### Can effects process video in the ordinary Graph? Graph image effects process still images. Put video inside a Compositor to apply effects to every frame. ### What does Denoise measure in Auto mode? Auto measures noise in the smoothest areas of the whole image and sets strength from it. Choose **Measure region** when the picture has few flat areas. ## Related - [Compositing](https://docs.nodespell.com/edit/compositing/): build multi-node effect graphs. - [Color correction](https://docs.nodespell.com/edit/color-correction/): grading nodes. - [Depth and defocus](https://docs.nodespell.com/edit/depth-and-defocus/): lens and atmosphere effects. - [Masks and keying](https://docs.nodespell.com/edit/masks-and-keying/): limit effects. - [Keyframes](https://docs.nodespell.com/edit/keyframes/): animate effect parameters.