sRender Node

sRender is the essential node of the Shape workflow. Without it, vector shapes are not visible in the viewer and cannot be used in the rest of the 2D composite.

It also has a configuration role: output resolution, bit depth, color space. For example, it lets you rasterize at a higher resolution than the comp so you can zoom in later without pixelation.

• Effects Library: Tools > Shape > sRender
• Quick add: right-click in the Node Editor → Add Tool > Shape > sRender
• Automatic add: when you add a first Shape node (an sRectangle, for example) and connect it to a Merge, Fusion can automatically suggest inserting an sRender.

Shape nodes (all prefixed with s) work with an internal vector data format that describes curves and geometric operations. This format cannot be displayed directly and is not compatible with the other Fusion 2D nodes, which expect bitmaps.

sRender rasterizes this data into a pixel image at the chosen resolution, with high-quality antialiasing, to produce a bitmap you can use anywhere afterwards.

As a result, a Shape → Merge flow without an sRender = nothing shows up. Always: Shape(s) → sRender → rest of the comp.

• Input1 (required) - the output of the last shape node in the chain (sBoolean, sTransform, a direct sRectangle, etc.).
• Effect Mask (blue) - optional. Limits the rasterized area.

Simple pipeline:
sRectangle → sRender → Merge 2D → MediaOut

Complex shape pipeline:
sRectangle → sTransform → sBoolean ← sEllipse
                              ↓
                           sRender → Soft Glow → Merge 2D

High-resolution render for a later zoom:
Shapes → sRender (Width 4000, Height 4000) → Transform (Scale 0.25)
      → a sharp result even after a zoom / crop

Width / Height

Dimensions in pixels of the rasterized image. By default = the comp resolution.

Pixel Aspect (X / Y)

Non-square pixel ratio (1.0 by default). Useful for anamorphic content.

Auto Resolution

Locked to the comp's Frame Format preferences. Change the comp resolution = the sRender follows.

Depth

Color depth:

• 8-bit: standard, light.
• 16-bit: intermediate precision.
• Float 32-bit: maximum, HDR. For a pro grading pipeline.

Source Color Space

Output color space: Auto (follows the project) or manual (Rec.709, sRGB, Cineon, ACES, etc.).

Source Gamma Space

The gamma to apply. Auto or explicit (Linear, sRGB, Rec.709, etc.).

Process Mode

Fields Processing - for handling interlaced footage (rare today, mostly legacy SD broadcast).

• End of every Shape chain - required to see and composite the shapes. No specific creative use case, it is a utility.
• High-resolution rasterization - render a shape at 4K/8K so you can zoom into it at render time without losing quality.
• Pre-composing a complex shape - group a series of shapes into an sRender, then process that bitmap image with other nodes (Blur, Glow, Color Corrector).
• Multiple sRender nodes for different passes - a chain of shapes feeding several sRender nodes at different resolutions or depths for different uses (a quick preview + the final HD).
• HDR / linear light pipeline - Float 32-bit Depth + Linear Color Space = a clean render in a Linear / ACES pipeline.

• Auto Resolution by default - no need to touch the resolution in most cases, it syncs with the comp.
• Render bigger for zooms - if the shape will be zoomed in an animation, rasterize at 2× or 4× the resolution, then scale down with a Transform. Avoids visible pixelation.
• One sRender per chain - no need to stack several. Inefficient and pointless. The last sRender does the work.
• Float 32-bit for later grading - if you will apply a Color Corrector or HDR work afterwards, Float avoids clamping and quantization. 8-bit is enough for simple shapes without post-grading.
• sRender does not add quality - it only rasterizes. The antialiasing quality comes from the vector chain before it. If the edges are jagged, check the shape nodes upstream.
• Motion Blur on an sRender - can be turned on in the common controls (Motion Blur, Quality) for fast animations that need native motion blur.
• To speed up rendering, temporarily disable (Disable Cache) the intermediate shape nodes and keep only the sRender active during heavy previews.