The Compositor in Blender is a powerful tool that allows you to combine and manipulate rendered images and animations. It is used for post-processing tasks such as color correction, adding effects, and compositing multiple layers of images. This section will guide you through the basics of using the Compositor, including setting up a compositing workspace, understanding nodes, and applying basic effects.

• Compositing: The process of combining multiple images to create a final image.
• Post-Processing: Enhancing and modifying rendered images after the initial rendering process.

• Nodes: Building blocks in the Compositor that perform specific operations on images.
• Node Editor: The workspace where you create and connect nodes to build a compositing network.

1. Switch to the Compositing Workspace:

   • Open Blender and switch to the "Compositing" workspace from the top menu.

2. Enable Nodes:

   • In the Compositor, check the "Use Nodes" box to enable the node editor.

3. Add Render Layers Node:

   • By default, a "Render Layers" node is added. This node represents the rendered image from your scene.

4. Add Composite Node:

   • Add a "Composite" node (Shift + A > Output > Composite). This node represents the final output of your compositing network.

5. Connect Nodes:

   • Connect the "Image" output of the "Render Layers" node to the "Image" input of the "Composite" node.

1. Add a Blur Node:

   • Add a "Blur" node (Shift + A > Filter > Blur).

2. Connect Nodes:

   • Connect the "Image" output of the "Render Layers" node to the "Image" input of the "Blur" node.
   • Connect the "Image" output of the "Blur" node to the "Image" input of the "Composite" node.

3. Adjust Blur Settings:

   • In the "Blur" node, adjust the "X" and "Y" values to control the amount of blur.

1. Add a Color Balance Node:

   • Add a "Color Balance" node (Shift + A > Color > Color Balance).

2. Connect Nodes:

   • Connect the "Image" output of the "Render Layers" node to the "Image" input of the "Color Balance" node.
   • Connect the "Image" output of the "Color Balance" node to the "Image" input of the "Composite" node.

3. Adjust Color Settings:

   • In the "Color Balance" node, adjust the color wheels to change the color balance of the image.

1. Setup:

   • Open Blender and switch to the "Compositing" workspace.
   • Enable "Use Nodes" and ensure you have the "Render Layers" and "Composite" nodes.

2. Add Nodes:

   • Add an "Ellipse Mask" node (Shift + A > Matte > Ellipse Mask).
   • Add a "Blur" node (Shift + A > Filter > Blur).
   • Add a "Mix" node (Shift + A > Color > Mix).

3. Connect Nodes:

   • Connect the "Image" output of the "Render Layers" node to the "Image" input of the "Mix" node.
   • Connect the "Mask" output of the "Ellipse Mask" node to the "Image" input of the "Blur" node.
   • Connect the "Image" output of the "Blur" node to the "Fac" input of the "Mix" node.
   • Connect the "Image" output of the "Mix" node to the "Image" input of the "Composite" node.

4. Adjust Settings:

   • In the "Ellipse Mask" node, adjust the "Width" and "Height" to create a circular mask.
   • In the "Blur" node, increase the "X" and "Y" values to blur the mask.
   • In the "Mix" node, set the blend type to "Multiply" and adjust the "Fac" value to control the intensity of the vignette.

In this section, you learned the basics of using the Compositor in Blender. You now know how to set up a compositing workspace, understand and use nodes, and apply basic effects like blur and color correction. The practical exercise provided hands-on experience with adding a vignette effect. In the next section, we will delve deeper into color correction and grading techniques to enhance your rendered images further.