LayerForge – Advanced Canvas Editor for ComfyUI 🎨

LayerForge is an advanced canvas node for ComfyUI, providing a Photoshop-like layer-based editing experience directly within your workflow. It extends the concept of a simple canvas with multi-layer support, masking, blend modes, precise transformations, and seamless integration with other nodes.

Why LayerForge?

• Full Creative Control: Move beyond simple image inputs. Composite, mask, and blend multiple elements without leaving ComfyUI.
• Intuitive UI: Familiar controls like drag-and-drop, keyboard shortcuts, and a pannable/zoomable viewport make editing fast and easy.

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https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/0f557d87-fd5e-422b-ab7e-dbdd4cab156c

✨ Key Features

• Persistent & Stateful: Your work is automatically saved to the browser's IndexedDB, preserving your full canvas state (layers, positions, etc.) even after a page reload.
• Multi-Layer Editing: Add, arrange, and manage multiple image layers with z-ordering.
• Advanced Masking Tool: A dedicated masking mode with adjustable brush size, strength, and softness. Masks have their own separate undo/redo history.
• Full Transformation Controls: Precisely move, scale, and rotate layers with mouse or keyboard shortcuts.
• Blend Modes & Opacity: Apply 12 common blend modes (Overlay, Multiply, etc.) and adjust opacity on a per-layer basis via a context menu.
• Comprehensive Undo/Redo: Full history support for both layer manipulations and mask drawing.
• Seamless I/O:
  • Drag & Drop image files to create new layers.
  • Copy & Paste images directly from your system clipboard.
  • Import the last generated image from your workflow with one click.
• AI-Powered Matting: Optional background removal for any layer using the BiRefNet model.
• Efficient Memory Management: An automatic garbage collection system cleans up unused image data to keep the browser's storage footprint low.
• Workflow Integration: Outputs a final composite image and a combined alpha mask, ready for any other ComfyUI node.

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🚀 Installation

Install via ComfyUI-Manager

• Search Comfyui-LayerForge in ComfyUI-Manager and click Install button.

Manual Install

1. Install ComfyUi.
2. Clone this repo into custom_modules:

   cd ComfyUI/custom_nodes/
   git clone https://github.com/Azornes/Comfyui-LayerForge.git
   

3. Start up ComfyUI.

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🧪 Workflow Example

For a quick test of LayerForge, you can try the example workflow provided below. It demonstrates a basic compositing setup using the node.

🔗 Download Example Workflow

How to load the workflow: Click on the image above, then drag and drop it into your ComfyUI workflow window in your browser. The workflow should load automatically.

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🎮 Controls & Shortcuts

Canvas Control

Action	Description
Click + Drag	Pan canvas view
Mouse Wheel	Zoom view in/out
Shift + Click (background)	Start resizing canvas area
Shift + Ctrl + Click	Start moving entire canvas
Double Click (background)	Deselect all layers

Clipboard & I/O

Action	Description
Ctrl + C	Copy selected layer(s)
Ctrl + V	Paste from clipboard (image or internal layers)
Drag & Drop Image File	Add image as a new layer

Layer Interaction

Action	Description
Click + Drag	Move selected layer(s)
Ctrl + Click	Add/Remove layer from selection
Alt + Drag	Clone selected layer(s)
Shift + Click	Show blend mode & opacity menu
Mouse Wheel	Scale layer (snaps to grid)
Ctrl + Mouse Wheel	Fine-scale layer
Shift + Mouse Wheel	Rotate layer by 5°
Arrow Keys	Nudge layer by 1px
Shift + Arrow Keys	Nudge layer by 10px
[ or ]	Rotate by 1°
Shift + [ or ]	Rotate by 10°
Delete	Delete selected layer(s)

Transform Handles (on selected layer)

Action	Description
Drag Corner/Side	Resize layer
Drag Rotation Handle	Rotate layer
Hold Shift	Keep aspect ratio / Snap rotation to 15°
Hold Ctrl	Snap to grid

Mask Mode

Action	Description
Click + Drag	Paint on the mask
Middle Mouse Button + Drag	Pan canvas view
Mouse Wheel	Zoom view in/out
Brush Controls	Use sliders to control brush Size, Strength, and Softness
Clear Mask	Remove the entire mask
Exit Mode	Click the "Draw Mask" button again

🧠 Optional: Matting Model (for image cutout)

The "Matting" feature allows you to automatically generate a cutout (alpha mask) for a selected layer. This is an optional feature and requires a model.

• Model Name: BiRefNet
• Download from: >

• Hugging Face (Recommended)
• Google Drive

• Installation Path: Place the model file in ComfyUI/models/BiRefNet/.

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🐞 Known Issue:

node_id not auto-filled → black output

In some cases, ComfyUI doesn't auto-fill the node_id when adding a node. As a result, the node may produce a completely black image or not work at all.

Workaround:

• Search node ID in ComfyUI settings.
• In NodesMap check "Enable node ID display"
• Manually enter the correct node_id (match the ID Node "LayerForge" shown above the node, on the right side).

Warning

This is a known issue and not yet fixed. Please follow the steps above if your output is black or broken.

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📜 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. Feel free to use, modify, and distribute.

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Based on the original Comfyui-Ycanvas by yichengup. This fork significantly enhances the editing capabilities for practical compositing workflows inside ComfyUI.