The Studio

Immersive Mode

Every panel animates out of view in Immersive Mode pressing space — leaving just the canvas, histogram and properties panel.

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Image Strip

The leftmost column. Holds all image slots in the current session.

• Add a slot — click the + button or drag an image from your filesystem onto the strip
• Switch slots — click any thumbnail to activate it; the canvas and effect chain update instantly
• Duplicate a slot — hold Cmd while clicking a slot to copy it without the effect chain; hold Shift to copy it with the chain applied
• Multi-select — click slots while holding Shift to select a range; selected slots are batch-exported as a ZIP
• Delete a slot — hover a slot and click the trash icon; a confirmation dialog appears before deletion

Thumbnails are rendered live as effects are applied, excluding framing effects (Letterbox, Pillarbox, Dirty Matte) so the 108×108 thumbnail stays readable.

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Cinematic Palette

The left panel. Your effect chain lives here.

Effect layers

Each row in the palette is one effect layer. From left to right:

• Drag handle — reorder layers by dragging
• Enable toggle — click to bypass the effect without removing it
• Effect name — click to open its controls in the Properties panel
• Context menu — right-click for duplicate, delete, move to top/bottom

Adding effects

Click the + button at the top of the palette, or press Cmd K to open the Effect Command Palette — a searchable list of all available effects. Start typing to filter by name.

Chain order

Effects are processed top-to-bottom by default. Press T T (double-tap T) or use the Toggle Chain menu action to reverse the processing order. The palette header shows an arrow indicating current direction.

Presets

The palette toolbar has three preset actions:

Preset files are portable — share them with anyone using Cineon.

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Canvas

The center panel. Your image rendered in real-time with all effects applied.

Navigation

Before/After compare

A split-view slider lets you compare the graded and original image side-by-side. Click the compare button in the canvas toolbar to activate it, then drag the divider left/right.

Draft mode

The canvas renders in draft resolution by default for real-time performance. Switch to Full Resolution in the toolbar to preview at 1:1 before exporting.

Context menu

Right-click the canvas for quick access to: Replace Image, Export, Reset View, and Toggle Chain.

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Properties Panel

The rightmost panel. Shows controls for whichever effect layer is selected in the Cinematic Palette.

• Selecting a layer in the palette immediately loads its controls here
• The Histogram lives at the top of this panel — it updates live as you adjust parameters
• All sliders support scrubbing: click the value label and drag horizontally for fine-tuned input

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Export

Click Export in the top-right of the canvas, or use a keyboard shortcut.

Formats

Quality presets

When exporting JPEG, a dialog lets you choose a quality preset. Cineon remembers your last choice per format.

Batch export (ZIP)

Select multiple slots in the Image Strip, then press Cmd Shift X — all selected images are rendered and downloaded as a .zip with the same effect chain applied to each. If no slots are selected, all slots in the session are exported.

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Projects

Projects save your entire session — all image slots, effect chains, and parameters — to a .cine file on disk.

If you try to open or create a project with unsaved changes, Cineon prompts you to save, discard, or cancel.

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Keyboard shortcuts

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Settings

Open Settings from the menu (top-right ··· button). Available sections:

• Interface — toggle surface glass effects
• Features — experimental features
• Subscription — manage your plan, view usage
• Integrations — connect Pinterest for direct publishing
• Affiliate — your referral link and earnings dashboard