The interface
The panels of the Compositing workspace and how keys reach them.
The default layout is the Compositing workspace:
| Where | Panel | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| top left | Viewer | shows the image of the node connected to the Viewer node, with the timeline underneath |
| bottom left | Node Graph | the comp: nodes and the pipes between them |
| right | Properties | the knobs (controls) of the nodes you open |
| far left | node toolbar | one button per node group (Image, Draw, Time, Channel, Color, Filter, Keyer, Merge, Transform, 3D, …, AIR, OFX); click one for its nodes |
| top | menu bar | File, Edit, Workspace, Viewer, Render, Cache, Help |
Workspace › Jobs opens the Jobs panel: one line for every background job (renders, AI nodes, importing a .blend), with an All / AI / Renders / Imports filter. Click a line to open that node. It was called AI Jobs in older versions.
Cache › Background Processes... opens the same panel on its Services view. A row at the top of the panel switches between This session (what this window started), All Oink sessions (every running copy of the app, with their jobs; double-clicking a comp opens a new copy each time) and Services (the long-running helpers: the AI worker, ComfyUI, llama-swap, the Blender bridge, Karma). Each helper row says what it is in plain words and shows its GPU memory and RAM. Unload models frees its GPU memory and leaves it running; Stop shuts it down (it starts again when a node needs it). Free all idle GPU memory at the top unloads every idle model at once. The panel only lists, and only stops, programs Oink started itself; your other apps are never touched.
More panels open as tabs: Curve Editor and Dope Sheet (animation), Script Editor (Python, Workspace › Script Editor), Assistant (AI help that can read and edit the comp) and Conform (edit decision lists to shots). Every pane has a menu in its tab bar to show any panel there.
Keys go to the panel under the mouse
A key press goes to the panel the mouse is over. G over the Node Graph adds a Grade node; G over the Viewer shows the green channel. The full list is in Keyboard shortcuts. A few to start with:
| Key | Where | Does |
|---|---|---|
| Tab | Node Graph | search and add any node by name |
| R, W, G, B, M, T, C | Node Graph | add Read, Write, Grade, Blur, Merge, Transform, ColorCorrect |
| 1 … 9 | Node Graph | show the selected node in the Viewer (input 1 … 9) |
| F | Node Graph / Viewer | fit the graph / fit the image |
| Space | any panel | tap: play / pause. Hold: pan the Node Graph. Preferences > Behaviors > Keyboard > space bar switches a tap to Maximize Panel |
| J / K / L | Viewer | play backward / stop / play forward |
| Ctrl+S | anywhere | save the comp |
| F5 | Node Graph | render all Write nodes |
| Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z | anywhere | undo / redo |
A key for a feature that is not built yet shows "Not available yet: …" in the status bar at the bottom. Help › Keyboard Shortcuts lists every key in the app.
Files
Double-clicking a .oink file opens it in a new copy of the app (one script per window). On Linux, the installer (./install.sh) registers the file type, so .oink files get an icon on the desktop and in the file manager; review sessions (*.review-session.json) open in Oink Review. .nk files are not claimed unless you ask for it: run ./install.sh --nk. uninstall.sh in the app folder removes the app and its file types.
Comps are saved as .oink files (plain text, File › Save Comp). Nuke scripts open with File › Open Nuke Script… and are written with File › Export Nuke Script…; see .nk import and export. The app autosaves and offers to recover your work after a crash.