Every time I add a Composite Node to my Node View, I have to open up the Composite and change the Mode from Bitmap to Pass Through. It would be nice if we could configure the default settings of the effect nodes in the library. Another idea: It would be pretty cool if we could drop a node into the Node View, tweak it how we like it and then save it as a custom effect in the node library. Another feature I’d like is if we could change the default naming convention of nodes as well. I’d like to be able to default my “Auto-Patch” nodes to come in as “Ap” instead. Just to keep things more tidy. Thanks for your considerations Toon Boom.
This is where the Library is your friend. I got tired of doing some of the same repetitive tasks like setting up a mask for example.
Say you want to do an eye, and have the white of the eye mask the pupil so that it cuts it off as it comes to the edge, you get the idea. Anyway you have to go to the node library, drag out a Colour-Override module into the Node View, then get a Cutter, then attach the output of the Colour-Override into the Matte port of the Cutter. Then you have to go into the Cutter Layer Properties and check inverted.
That is 4 steps right there that you do over and over when masking something. This is before you have to attach the Eye White to the Image port of the Colour-Override and the Pupil to the Image Port of the Cutter, and of course the Cutter to the Composite. So, 7 steps in all.
But we can do something to compress those first 4 steps. What I do is bring out the Color-Override and Cutter nodes and attach the output of the Override to the matte input of the Cutter and then go into the Cutter and check inverted. I then select the two nodes and copy them.
I go to my Stage Library, make sure you have right to modify and all that taken care of and then select the large field/box to the right, it will have a blue highlight. Then paste. A dialog box will come up and you can name it, for me I named it Mask.tpl.
So, now when I want to mask something, I just go to my Library and drag this Mask.tpl into the Node View. The Colour-Override and Cutter are set up just as I intended. One step instead of four.
I have just started to explore exactly how much of this I can do, setting up things and saving them out as favorites in my Library. In your case, you could take a Composite node, set it to Pass Through, copy it and then add it to your Library and name it, say Pass Through. Then just drag it from your Library when you need it. Anyway, hope that helps.
Thanks for the tip scungyho! Using the normal Library for saving custom effect nodes works great!