Nodespell has three nodes for geometry: Transform moves, scales, rotates and skews an image inside its existing frame; Resize changes the image’s pixel dimensions to a format, scale or reference; and Crop cuts a region out, either keeping the frame size or reformatting to the crop. All three work in the Graph and inside compositors.
Which node changes the image size?
Section titled “Which node changes the image size?”| Node | Output size | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Transform | Same as the input | Positioning a layer, rotating, scaling inside the frame |
| Resize | A format, custom size, scale or reference image | Matching a delivery size or another image |
| Crop | Same as the input, or the crop size with reformat on | Removing edges, reframing |
Every other image effect outputs the same size as its input, so a chain of filters keeps your source resolution. In the Design panel, Preview resolution only changes the preview; see Viewers.
Move, scale and rotate with Transform
Section titled “Move, scale and rotate with Transform”| Control | Range and default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Scale X, Scale Y | 0.01–10, default 1 | |
| Translate X, Translate Y | −2 to 2, default 0 | In frame widths and heights; Y moves up |
| Rotate | −360 to 360 degrees | Positive turns clockwise on screen |
| Skew X, Skew Y | −89 to 89 degrees | |
| Pivot X, Pivot Y | 0–1, default 0.5 (centre) | The point scale and rotation happen around |
| Filter | Cubic (default), Mitchell, Lanczos 3, Linear, Nearest | Resampling quality; Nearest keeps hard pixels |
Inside a compositor, select a Transform node to get an on-image control in the viewer: a ring that stands in for the image.
| Gesture | Result |
|---|---|
| Drag inside the ring | Move the image |
Option/Alt+drag inside the ring |
Move the pivot without moving the image |
| Drag a square on the ring | Scale about the pivot; hold Shift to scale along that axis only |
| Drag the round grip | Rotate about the pivot; hold Shift to snap to 15° steps |
The amber target marks the pivot. All gestures use the primary button, so they work on a trackpad.
Change size with Resize
Section titled “Change size with Resize”| Target | Size comes from |
|---|---|
| Automatic (default) | The Reference input when connected; otherwise the compositor’s canvas, or the image’s own size outside a compositor |
| Composition | The compositor canvas |
| Preset | Format: HD · 1920 × 1080, UHD · 3840 × 2160, Portrait · 1080 × 1920, Square · 1080 × 1080, DCI 2K · 2048 × 1080, DCI 4K · 4096 × 2160 |
| Custom | Width and Height, 1–8192 pixels |
| Reference | The dimensions of the image on Reference (only its size is used) |
| Scale | Scale, 0.01–16 times the input |
When the shape changes, Fit decides what happens: Contain (default) pads with transparency, Cover crops the overflow, Stretch changes proportions, and No Resize only crops or pads. Anchor picks which part of the image stays aligned when padding or cropping. Filter is Smooth or Nearest.
Crop with on-image handles
Section titled “Crop with on-image handles”Crop stores the region in normalised coordinates from 0 to 1, with Y measured up from the bottom, as in Nuke. Mode is Edges (L/R/T/B) (default; left 0, right 1, top 1, bottom 0) or Center (W/H/X/Y).
- Add Crop after an image and select it. The Design panel shows the crop editor over the input image.
- Drag the edges or corners. Hold
Shiftto keep the shape, orAltto crop from the centre. Drag inside the crop to move it. - Pick a shape: Free, Original, 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 21:9 or Custom. Swap orientation turns the ratio portrait. For Custom, type a ratio and select Set.
- Type an exact Width and Height in pixels if you need them; the field shows the source size beside them.
- Use the arrow keys to nudge the crop, with
Shiftfor larger steps. Reset returns to the full image.
The same handles, shape presets and size fields appear in a compositor’s viewer when you select a Crop node there, and the preview follows as you drag. You can also open Edit Crop from the node, or crop from the fullscreen viewer: choose Crop in its tools, adjust, and apply to add a Crop node after the image you are viewing. Nothing is created until you apply.
Keep or change the frame with reformat
Section titled “Keep or change the frame with reformat”The Reformat switch (off by default) decides the output size:
- Off: the output keeps the input size, and pixels outside the crop become transparent. Use this inside composites when the layer must stay registered to the plate.
- On: the output is resized to the crop bounds. Use this to deliver the cropped region as its own image, for example before sending it to a generator.
Frequently asked questions
Section titled “Frequently asked questions”Why is my cropped image still the original size?
Section titled “Why is my cropped image still the original size?”Reformat is off, so the crop keeps the frame and makes the outside transparent. Turn Reformat on to output only the cropped region.
How do I match one image’s size to another?
Section titled “How do I match one image’s size to another?”Connect the other image to Resize’s Reference input. With Target on Automatic or Reference, Resize uses its dimensions.
Does Transform change the image resolution?
Section titled “Does Transform change the image resolution?”No. Transform works inside the input’s frame, so parts moved outside are cut off. Use Resize to change the pixel dimensions.
Do downstream generators get my transformed image?
Section titled “Do downstream generators get my transformed image?”Yes. Generators downstream use the current Transform, Resize and Crop results when they run.
Related
Section titled “Related”- Compositing: canvas size and layering.
- Viewers: zoom and inspect at full detail.
- Keyframes: animate a Transform.
- Filters and effects: distortion nodes.
- Export: delivery sizes and formats.