Skip to content
ArcBrush ArcBrush Docs

Image In

Node icon
Inputs

Loads an image from disk (PNG, JPEG, WebP, TIFF, OpenEXR, TGA, or BMP) as the starting point of your pipeline.

Image In is the most common starting node. Point it at a file on your disk, and it loads that image into the graph. It supports PNG, JPEG, WebP, TGA, BMP, TIFF, and OpenEXR, including high-bit-depth sources: 16-bit PNG, 16-bit TIFF, float TIFF, and EXR. A multi-layer or multi-part EXR (for example a beauty pass plus per-light or per-AOV passes in one file) shows a Layer picker listing every layer across the file, so you can pull a single layer straight into the graph; tiled EXR files load the same way. High-bit-depth sources keep full precision in a 32-bit (float) document and convert down on import in an 8-bit document.

Optionally, you can enable Custom Size to resize the image on load using Nearest, Bilinear, or Lanczos filtering. The Watch File toggle makes the node automatically reload when the source file changes on disk, which is useful when editing the source in another application like Photoshop.

File paths can be relative: type assets/logo.png and the path resolves relative to your .arcb file. A hint below the input shows the resolved absolute path on hover.

The Output Format control sets the channel layout. Auto (the default for new nodes) keeps a natively single-channel file (a grayscale PNG, JPEG, TGA, or single-channel TIFF) as a single-channel image and promotes everything else to RGBA. RGBA always converts to 4-channel color (the legacy behavior). Grayscale forces single-channel output from any source, with a Grayscale From option (Luminance, Red, Green, Blue, or Alpha) choosing how a multi-channel source collapses to gray. Existing projects open as RGBA.

Parameters

Section titled “Parameters”

Pins

ImageImage
Output

File

Image FileText

Path to source image file (PNG/JPEG/BMP/TGA/WebP/TIFF/EXR)

Watch FileToggle
Default: false

Auto-reload when the file changes on disk (polls once per second)

Output

Output FormatChoice
Default: Auto

Note: a grayscale frame becomes RGBA again at any color-only downstream node; the node body shows 'Gray' where it is still single-channel

  • AutoKeep a natively single-channel file as a single-channel image and promote everything else to RGBA. The default.
  • RGBAAlways load as a full-color RGBA image, widening a single-channel source.
  • GrayscaleAlways load as a single-channel image, reducing a color source using the Grayscale From channel.
Grayscale FromChoice
Default: Luminance
When Output Format is Grayscale and source is multi-channel

Which channel or formula to use when converting a multi-channel source to grayscale.

Shown only when Output Format is Grayscale and the source is multi-channel.

  • LuminanceDerive the gray value from perceived brightness (weighted RGB). The most natural choice.
  • RedUse the red channel as the gray value.
  • GreenUse the green channel as the gray value.
  • BlueUse the blue channel as the gray value.
  • AlphaUse the alpha channel as the gray value.
Custom SizeToggle
Default: false

Override the source's native dimensions

Fit ModeChoice
Default: Stretch
When Custom Size is on

How the image is sized to target dimensions

  • StretchStretch the image to exactly match the target dimensions. May distort.
  • Fit (letterbox)Scale the image to fit inside the target dimensions, preserving aspect ratio. May leave empty space.
  • Fill (crop)Scale the image to fill the target dimensions, preserving aspect ratio. May crop edges.
ResamplingChoice
Default: Bilinear
When Custom Size is on

Resampling filter used when scaling

  • NearestPixel-perfect resampling with no blending, ideal for pixel art.
  • Bilinear
  • Lanczos
Width (px)Integer
Default: 512 Range: 1–8192
When Custom Size is on

Custom output width

Height (px)Integer
Default: 512 Range: 1–8192
When Custom Size is on

Custom output height

Usage Tips

Section titled “Usage Tips”
  • Drag and drop an image file onto the graph canvas to automatically create an Image In node.
  • Paste from clipboard with Ctrl+V to create an Image In node from copied images.
  • Enable Watch File to create a live link. Edit in Photoshop, save, and ArcBrush updates automatically.
  • Use Nearest filtering when resizing pixel art to keep crisp edges.
  • Use relative paths (e.g., assets/texture.png) to keep your project portable across machines.
  • Set Output Format to Grayscale with Grayscale From set to Alpha to pull a transparency mask straight off an RGBA source, with no Mask From Image node.
  • Drop a multi-layer EXR render in and use the Layer picker to work on one AOV at a time (hover a layer to preview it live in the main view); add more Image In nodes pointing at the same file for the others.
Section titled “Related Nodes”