The Node Graph

Connect nodes to build live, non-destructive effects.

The Node Graph

The board is your document. Everything on it is a node: canvases, generators, effects. Wire them together and data flows left to right. Change anything upstream and everything downstream updates, live.

You never commit to a result. The whole chain stays editable until export.

Connecting nodes#

Each node has ports: inputs on the left, outputs on the right. Drag from an output to an input to connect them.

  • An input takes one connection. A new wire replaces the old one.
  • An output can feed as many inputs as you like.
  • Ports are colored by what they carry. Magerie only lets you connect compatible ones.
Color Carries
Blue Images
Green Numbers, vectors, colors
Orange Text
Purple Video (coming soon)
Gray Anything

Green ports interconvert freely, so a single number can drive a color, a position, or a size.

Adding nodes#

Press Cmd/Ctrl + P (or Tab) for the Omni menu and search for any node or saved item. Or drag an image file straight onto the board to drop it in as a canvas.

Moving around#

  • Click to select. Cmd/Ctrl + click adds to the selection.
  • Drag the empty board to box-select. Cmd/Ctrl + A selects all.
  • F frames the selection. X toggles a cleaner minimal view.
  • Delete removes selected nodes.
  • Pan with Space + drag, the middle mouse button, or two fingers. Zoom by pinching.

Copy and paste (Cmd/Ctrl + C / V) keeps the connections inside the copied group.

Tuning nodes#

Each node shows its own controls right on the board. Drag a slider and the result updates everywhere downstream at once.

Rename a node with F2 or a double-click on its title. One undo (Cmd/Ctrl + Z) covers everything: parameters, wires, nodes, and paint strokes alike.

Tidy up with subgraphs#

Select a cluster of nodes and press Cmd/Ctrl + G to fold them into a single Subgraph node. Double-click to step inside. Good for reuse, and for keeping a big board readable.

Where to next#