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Extracting and Inserting Nodes
When building a composition, you’ll often find that you need to rearrange nodes that you’ve already added, in order to connect them in different ways to obtain a better result. Happily, this is easy to do by extracting one or more nodes from one part of a node tree and inserting them at another part of the node tree.
To extract one or more nodes from their position in the node tree:
— To extract a single node: Hold down the Shift key, drag a node from the node tree up or down to disconnect it, and then drop the node before releasing the Shift key. That node is now detached, and the output of the next upstream node is automatically connected to the input of the next downstream node to fill the gap in the node tree.
— To extract multiple nodes: Select the nodes you want to extract, hold down the Shift key, drag one of the selected nodes up or down to disconnect them, and then drop the node before releasing the Shift key. Those nodes are now detached (although they remain connected to one
another), and the output of the next upstream node is automatically connected to the input of the next downstream node to fill the gap in the node tree.
Before extracting a pair of nodes (left), and after extracting a pair of nodes (right).
After you’ve extracted a node, you can re-insert it into another connection somewhere else. You can only insert one node at a time.
1 Hold down the Shift key and drag a disconnected node directly over a connection between two other nodes.
2 Once the connection highlights, drop the node, and then release the Shift key. That node is now attached to the nodes coming before and after it.
TIP: If you hold down the Shift key, you can extract a node and re-insert it somewhere else with a single drag.
TIP: If you hold down the Shift key, you can extract a node and re-insert it somewhere else with a single drag.
TIP: If you hold down the Shift key, you can extract a node and re-insert it somewhere else with a single drag.
Before inserting a node (left), and after inserting a node (right).