Addon

Documentation

📘 Cinematic Compositor – Documentation

🎬 Overview

Cinematic Compositor is a powerful Blender add-on designed to enhance your renders with a cinematic, film-like aesthetic using the Compositor. With a single node group, you can apply beautiful color grading, film emulation, lens effects, and more—all without complex node setups.

⚙️ Installation

1. Download the .zip file of the add-on.

2. In Blender, go to Edit > Preferences > Add-ons.

3. Click Install... and select the .zip file.

4. Enable the add-on by checking the box next to Cinematic Compositor.

5. You're ready to go!

🧱 How to Use

1. Press N to open the sidebar → Look for the Cinematic Compositor panel.

2. Click "Add Cinematic Node Group" — a node group will be added to your compositor.

3. Enable viewport compositing, and you're good to go!

✨ Features

• 🎞️ Teal & Orange Look – Popular cinematic grade with warm skin tones and cool shadows.

• 🌅 Golden Look – Adds a warm, sunset-like aesthetic.

• 🎬 Film Look Toggle – Applies film-like contrast and tone curves.

• 🔮 Lens Distortion – Simulates real lens imperfections for a more organic image.

• 🎯 Red Separation Effect – Makes all colors grayscale except red—useful for stylized shots.

• 🖤 Black & White Mode – Simple toggle for high-contrast monochrome visuals.

• ✨ Glow Effect – Adds a dreamy glow to bright areas.

• 💫 Streaks – Introduces horizontal/diagonal light streaks for dramatic lighting.

• 🔆 Lens Flare Layers (A, B, C) – Stackable lens flare components for more dynamic highlights.

• 🎥 Film Grain – Subtle grain layer to emulate real film texture.

• ⚙️ Fully Adjustable UI – Clean, exposed controls for quick, intuitive adjustments.

🖼️ Output Compatibility

• ✅ Works with both Cycles and Eevee renders.

• 🖼️ Can be used for still images and animations.

• 🛠️ Can be used after rendering.

❓ FAQ

Q: What version of Blender is required?
A: It's compatible with Blender 4.3 and above.

Q: Can I use it for animations or just still renders?
A: You can absolutely use it for both! The effects work across frames, making it great for cinematic animation sequences as well as single images.

Q: Does it work with Eevee and Cycles?
A: Yes! It works with both Eevee and Cycles.

Q: Is it real-time? Will it slow down my renders?
A: Since it's a compositing tool, it does not affect your render time. You can even use it while processing image sequences.

Q: What kind of effects does it include?
A: It includes a wide range of effects like color grading, film emulation, lens flare, bloom, vignette, film grain, and more—all customizable in the node group.

Q: Do I need to know compositing to use this?
A: Not at all! The node group is beginner-friendly and comes with labeled, intuitive controls, so you can get cinematic results with zero compositing knowledge.

Q: What does Cinematic Compositor actually do?
A: Cinematic Compositor helps you give your renders a professional, film-like appearance directly in the Blender Compositor—with just one simple node group.

Q: Can I edit the node group?
A: Absolutely. It's fully customizable for advanced users who want more control.

🧩 Tips

• 🧪 Render in OpenEXR (DWAA, Lossy) for higher dynamic range and better color flexibility. Then, apply the Cinematic Compositor in a separate Blender file dedicated to compositing.

• 🎚️ The default settings are carefully tuned and provide a beautiful cinematic result out of the box—no need to tweak unless you want a specific style.

• 🎨 Try adjusting the color balance with subtle tweaks for a more natural film look.

💬 Support

For questions, bug reports, or feedback, feel free to reach out:
📧 alanwayne4940@gmail.com
📷 Instagram: @alanwayne4940