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.

🔹 Quick Start   |   🧩 Workflow Example   |   ⚠️ Known Issues

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/90fffb9a-dae2-4d19-aca2-5d47600f0a01

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/9c7ce1de-873b-4a3b-8579-0fc67642af3a

✨ Key Features

• Freeform Inpainting Area: Draw any custom (like a polygonal lasso tool) area directly inside the image for inpainting. The tool generates content that is coherent with the rest of the image, without requiring a brush.
• 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.
• Inputs
  • Image Input (optional): Accepts a single image.
  • Multiple Images: If you need to feed in more than one image, use the core ComfyUI Batch Image node.
    • This lets you route multiple images into LayerForge.
    • You can then stack, arrange, and edit them as separate layers inside the canvas.
• Mask Input (optional): Accepts a single external mask.
  • When provided, the mask is applied directly to the output area of the LayerForge canvas when Run is triggered in ComfyUI.
• Outputs
  • Composite Image: The final flattened result of your layer stack.
  • Combined Alpha Mask: A merged mask representing all visible layers, ready for downstream nodes.

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🚀 Installation

Install via ComfyUI-Manager

1. Search Comfyui-LayerForge in ComfyUI-Manager and click Install button.
2. Restart ComfyUI.

Manual Install

1. Install ComfyUi. I use portable version.
2. Clone this repo into custom_nodes: bash cd ComfyUI/custom_nodes/ git clone https://github.com/Azornes/Comfyui-LayerForge.git
3. Start up ComfyUI.

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🎯 Polygonal Lasso Inpainting Workflow

LayerForge's newest feature allows you to draw custom polygonal selection areas and run inpainting directly within ComfyUI. This brings Photoshop-like lasso tool functionality to your AI workflows.

Setup Requirements

1. Enable Auto-Refresh: In LayerForge's settings, enable auto_refresh_after_generation. Without this setting, the new generation output won't update automatically in the canvas.

2. Configure Auto-Apply (Optional): If you want the mask to be automatically applied after drawing the shape, enable the auto-apply shape mask option in the Custom Output Area menu (appears on the left when a custom shape is active).

How to Use Polygonal Selection

1. Start Drawing: Hold Shift + S and left-click to place the first point of your polygonal selection.

2. Add Points: Continue left-clicking to place additional points. Each click adds a new vertex to your polygon.

3. Close Selection: Click back on the first point (or close to it) to complete and close the polygonal selection.

4. Run Inpainting: Once your selection is complete, run your inpainting workflow as usual. The generated content will seamlessly integrate with the existing image.

Advanced Shape Mask Options

When using custom shapes, LayerForge provides several options to fine-tune the mask quality:

• Mask Expansion/Contraction: Adjust the mask boundary by -300 to +300 pixels to ensure better blending
• Edge Feathering: Apply 0-300px feathering to create smooth transitions and reduce visible seams
• Output Area Extension: Extend the output area in all directions for more context during generation
• Manual Blend Menu: Right-click to access manual color adjustment tools for perfect edge blending

Tips for Best Results

• Use feathering (10–50px) depending on the size of the image to create smooth transitions between the inpainted area and existing content. Larger images generally benefit from more feathering.
• Experiment with mask expansion (e.g., 10–20px) if you notice hard edges or visible seams.

• Use Output Area Extension based on image size:

• Extend the output area in all directions to give the model more context during generation, especially for larger or more complex images.

• If visible seams still appear in the inpainting results:

• Use the Manual Blend Menu (right-click on the mask area) to access color and edge adjustment tools for precise fine-tuning and seamless integration.

• Image placement behavior:

• The generated or pasted image is automatically inserted into the area defined by the blue shape you draw.

• The model uses the area within the dashed white preview outline as the full context during generation.
• Make sure the dashed region covers enough surrounding content to preserve lighting, texture, and scene coherence.

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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

🔹 Simple Test Workflow

This workflow allows quick testing of node behavior and output structures without requiring additional models or complex dependencies. Useful for inspecting how basic outputs are generated and connected.

🔹 Flux Inpainting Workflow

This example shows a typical inpainting setup using the Flux model. It demonstrates how to integrate model-based fill with contextual generation for seamless content restoration.

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
Shift + S + Left Click	Draw custom polygonal shape for output area
Single Click (background)	Deselect all layers
Esc	Close fullscreen editor mode
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)
Right 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°
Shift + Ctrl + Mouse Wheel	Snap rotation to 5° increments
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

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🤖 Model Compatibility

LayerForge is designed to work with any ComfyUI-compatible model. The node outputs standard image and mask data that can be used with any model or workflow. LayerForge automatically inserts the generated image into the exact shape and position you draw with the blue polygon tool — but only if the generated image is saved properly, for example via a Save Image node.

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🧠 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](https://huggingface.co/ZhengPeng7/BiRefNet/tree/mai