Record & Publish node
Video Recorder
Records the connected image to a movie file — H.264/HEVC (.mp4) or the ProRes family (.mov), including HEVC Alpha and ProRes 4444 with full transparency. Frames are captured on the GPU at the chosen FPS and Scale; Audio muxes the app's master mix. Files land in the folder picked in Settings (sandbox-safe, auto-numbered, never overwritten); Dropped counts frames a slow disk could not take.
Inputs
| Port | Type | Default |
|---|---|---|
| ImageThe texture to record — cable any generator or Canvas Image output. Its chain keeps rendering while recording even with no Canvas on screen. The file size is locked when recording starts (source size × Scale, rounded to even). | image | — |
| RecordTrue records, false stops and finalizes the file. Parameter changes mid-recording do NOT restart the file — they apply to the next one. Cable a button, gesture or logic node for hands-free takes. | bool | false |
| ScaleDownscale factor 0.05–1 applied to the source size at recording start (1 = the port's own resolution, 0.5 = half). GPU bilinear scale, zero CPU copies. Locked per file; ProRes 4444 at full 4K is heavy — scale down for long takes. | float | 1 |
| FPSTarget frame rate (24/25/30/50/60). The file is CONSTANT frame rate: frames are paced on the render clock and stamped frame/fps, so editors see a clean timeline. If rendering runs slower than FPS, frames count as Dropped instead of stretching time. | int | 30 |
| FormatCodec + container. H.264/HEVC write .mp4 (Rec.709 tagged, small). ProRes 422 Proxy→HQ write .mov (edit-grade). Alpha survives ONLY in HEVC Alpha (compact) and ProRes 4444 (full quality) — the pipeline's premultiplied BGRA lands directly. | int | 6 |
| AudioOn: the app's master audio mix (all synths and players) is muxed as AAC 48 kHz stereo alongside the video. One shared tap feeds every recorder; alignment is within one tap buffer (~0.1 s). Off: video only. | bool | true |
| File NameFile name prefix. Every take auto-numbers: Name_001.mov, Name_002.mov… — nothing is ever overwritten. The folder is picked in Settings (a standard open panel, kept as a sandbox-safe bookmark); the default is the app’s own Documents folder, one click away under Reveal in Finder. | string | Grafit |
| Start AtCable Sync Trigger's Fire Time (host seconds). Record then only arms: each new moment opens a take whose first frame and audio are the ones due at it, the same instant on every Grafit. Recording turns true at the moment; Record off stops the take. | any | — |
Outputs
| Port | Type |
|---|---|
| Recording | bool |
| Duration | float |
| Frames | int |
| Dropped | int |
| File | string |
How It Works
Video Recorder turns any image port into a movie file. Cable a Canvas, a generator, a filter chain, and record.
Formats cover the whole delivery range: H.264 and HEVC (.mp4), HEVC with alpha, and the ProRes family — 422 Proxy, LT, 422, HQ and 4444 (.mov). ProRes 4444 carries real alpha, straight out of Grafit's premultiplied pipeline, so a rendered element drops into any editor with its transparency intact. Audio is muxed from the app's master mix.
Frames are paced to a constant rate at the chosen FPS and scaled on the GPU into the writer's buffer — there are no CPU copies in the path. Scale resizes the output; Dropped counts frames a slow disk could not take.
The folder is picked once in Settings (the sandbox-safe default is the app's own Documents folder) and remembered; files auto-increment as Name_001 and never overwrite. Importantly, the source chain renders as soon as Record is requested, so a patch that is not on any Canvas still records.
Use Cases
- Deliver an element with alpha — ProRes 4444 of a generator or a 3D Scene, dropped straight onto an editing timeline over other footage.
- Record a performance — The Canvas plus the master mix, in one file, while the show runs.
- Render a generative loop — Set FPS, run the patch, and hand the result to anyone without Grafit.
- Proxy passes — ProRes Proxy for a quick look, 4444 for the final.
- Document the graph's data — Record a Plot or a Data Art ridgeline as a movie for a paper or a talk.
Tips
- Only ProRes 4444 and HEVC Alpha carry transparency. Everything else flattens it.
- If
Droppedclimbs, lower Scale or FPS, or record to a faster disk — the GPU path is rarely the bottleneck. - FPS here is the file's rate, not the render rate; pick 30 or 60 to match your delivery.
- Reveal in Finder in the Settings tab opens the recording folder.
- Record the exact image you want: cable the Canvas for the composite, or a single generator for a clean element.
Open Video Recorder in the interactive catalog →
Video Recorder is one of 381 nodes in Grafit Pro.
Free download. Every feature for 7 days, no card. Then €99.99 once — or keep playing your projects as a Player.