User Manual

Connecting Merge Nodes
The Merge node is the primary tool available for compositing images together. Each Merge
node is capable of combining two inputs to create a third, using standard compositing methods
and composite modes. For more extensive information about the Merge node, see Chapter 95
“IO Nodes” in the DaVinci Resolve manual or Chapter 44 in the Fusion Studio manual. For this
chapter, all you need to know is that if you attach a background image to the Background input
(such as a landscape), and a foreground image with an alpha channel to the Foreground input
(such as a graphic with an alpha channel), the Merge node will combine them into a single
image for further compositing.
Two MediaIn nodes and a DeltaKeyer node attached to a Merge node, creating a composite.
Each Merge node has three inputs:
 Background (green): The default input. Whichever image is connected to this input
defines the output resolution of the Merge node.
 Foreground (orange): The secondary input, meant for whichever image you
want to be “on top.”
 Effect Mask (blue): An optional input you can use to attach a mask or matte
with which to limit the effect of the Merge node.
It’s important to make sure you’re attaching the correct nodes to the correct inputs to ensure
you’re getting the result you want, and it’s important to keep these inputs in mind when you
connect to a Merge node. Of course, you can always drag a connection to a specific input to
make sure you’re connecting things the way you need. However, if you’re in a hurry and you
simply drag connections right on top of a Merge node:
 The first connection will be made to the background input.
 The second connection will be made to the foreground input.
 The third connection will be made to the effect mask input.
TIP: When you add a Merge node after a selected node by clicking the Merge button
on the toolbar, by clicking on the Merge icon in the Effects Library, or by right-clicking
a node in the node tree and choosing Insert Tool > Composite > Merge from the
contextual menu, the new Merge node is always added with the background
connected to the upstream node coming before it.
Chapter – 56 Working in the Node Editor 1087