6 Node based Compositing Software (Free & Paid)

There are many node-based compositing software programs available on the market today. Here is a list of six great node-based compositing software programs that are perfect for VFX and motion graphics artists.

Natron

Natron is an open source compositor for vfx and motion graphics. It has a workflow very similar to industry standard compositor Nuke, and it has the GMIC effect library integrated into it. GMIC has more than hundreds of effects that will help you create any effect you want in your vfx or motion graphics.

Blender

Blender is an open source 3D creation suite. It supports the entirety of the 3D pipeline—modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, video editing and 2D animation pipeline. Its node-based compositor is particularly powerful and flexible.

Nuke

Nuke is a professional digital compositing application developed by The Foundry and used in the post-production industry for film and television visual effects. Nuke has been used on some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbuster films such as Avatar, District 9, The Hobbit trilogy, Interstellar, Mad Max: Fury Road, X-Men: Days of Future Past and many more.

Olive

Olive is a free and open-source non-linear video editor with an emphasis on quality and ease of use. Olive aims to be a professional open-source editor with a node-based workflow that makes it easy for users to create their own effects and motion graphics, and in the future, full compositing will be possible as more nodes are added to it.

Fusion

Fusion is a powerful node-based compositing software developed by Blackmagic Design. It is used in many high-end VFX productions, such as The Hunger Games, Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and many more. Fusion has a very user-friendly interface for a node-based compositor, and it is relatively easy to learn compared to other node-based compositors.

Flame

Flame is a node-based compositing software developed by Autodesk. Flame was originally created for film and television post-production, but it has since been used in a variety of different industries, such as advertising, architecture, and product design, and can be used for VFX. Flame has a very different user interface for a node-based compositor, but it is very easy to learn.