Modification for Sequencer (VSE)
The Compositor in Blender can make very cool effects. There are already built-in effects in Sequencer (VSE), but they may not always be enough. The idea concludes in the joining of Sequencer and Compositor together. This will provide even more opportunities for VSE. As an example of such a solution, I suggest introducing a Sequencer node.
19 Comments
Either this, or the Render Output from the sequencer should be available as the Render Output node in Compositor when sequencer is turned on in Render settings. (Same result without having to add a new node)
This would be fantastic, however I think a lot more work would need to be done on the compositor side first, such as being able to switch between multiple composition trees and such. I've been thinking about the same idea for awhile though
How about a new class of sequencer strip "VSE Node Inputs". It takes what ever is below it in the VSE timeline and sends it to the scene compositor as a single node with multiple outputs. They will all be synced as per the VSE and available to be mixed together however you want.
* @David McSween * You have a very cool idea.
But it would be not bad to introduce two types of VSE Node Inputs. The first will do everything that you said:" It takes what ever is below it in the VSE timeline and sends it to the scene compositor", and the second will be imposed only on a certain strip as the effect strips in Sequencer do. This will make it possible to apply the effects in Sequencer only on a certain strip.
I want to note that this will simplify the animation process (since it allows us to almost never use "insert keyframes") and will correct the error when there is a transition effect between two strips. One of the videos has effects from the compositor, and the second does not.
But it would be cool if you could make different compositors in different scenes and add different effects from different scenes.
* @David McSween * This is a great approach, but perhaps as an effects strip? You can group strips and then apply a compositor instance as an effect strip (Without having to apply it universally to all strips below)
Personally, I'd rather take the opposite route (which is mostly possible already): Build a compositing network in one scene and pull that scene as a strip into the Sequencer.
* @Jason van Gumster * That makes sense if you want to composite a single clip or image sequence, then you can make a blank scene, pull in your footage, composite and add that as a strip.
If, however, you want to apply a compositor effect over a sequence of strips, you are restricted to editing your footage, rendering it and creating a new scene, importing your rendered frames and THEN compositing.
It would be nice to seek a best-of-both-worlds solution and this might be it!
* @ammusionist * Yes. You definitely noticed a plus of my idea. But also the idea allows you to add an effect to the strip with the video and then add another effect in the compositor, and this gives a double effect. As an example, you can add a transition effect in Sequencer and add blur effect in Compositor.
I made a proposal for this on the blender devtalk forum . There are a lot of duplicates of this idea (13 that I could find, and 3 more that are related) so I'm trying to gather the discussion on the forum since it's easier to discuss it there. If you have thoughts on it I'd like to hear them under the post.
You just need a way to differentiate the output (compositive vs back to strip). I'm not sure it would solve most of the problems, but will definitely solve a few. And will also makes blender more powerful, in my opinion. Cause will be possible to use all the strips in the VSE to control the timing of the clips in the compositor.
* @samuel.santos * After working in Davinci Resolve for a bit, having fusion built in is a godsend. It works sort of like this proposal and it's fantastic
* @Zach Hixson * I wasn't aware of this addon:
blender.community/c/vse/dfbbbc/
It does a lot of things we want, but sometimes with more trickies than needed (if blender has a proper option).
gumroad.com/l/Bachadam looks quite interesting...
Is there any way I can upload an image here?
Several times we've talked about how the VSE and compositing nodes could talk to each other better - here's my idea...
Upsides: This would allow you to have multiple composites within a single edits, each using multiple clips that would
Downsides: While this would use all the same nodes as compositing, this is infact a new nodes view - thus allowing you to have several node trees within the same scene.
* @yogdahfilms * It would also be nice if you could add "compositor send," strips to the VSE, that way you could send an entire complex edit to the compositor for effects to be applied.
Of course, a lot of improvements need to be made to both the VSE and Compositor before this can even be considered. Mainly performance improvements, or all this would be too slow to be practical.
* @Zach Hixson * True about performance improvements.
Update:
I disagree about using a "send strip" as appose to picking a channel in the sequencer. Using a channel would allow you to have edits, speed-ups, slowdowns, etc within one input.
So you would have an effect strip to handle the return of the Compositor output to control which node tree is handling which region of frames?
* @ammusionist *
Yes - I believe that would make it a flexible system allowing you to composite some parts of the edit, but not all of it.