Complete Guide to Pixelflow Utility Nodes for Image & Video AI Workflows

Utility nodes in Pixelflow are specialized models designed to enhance and optimize your AI workflows. These nodes serve as powerful processing tools that can be seamlessly integrated at various stages of your workflow to refine, enhance, or transform your outputs.

Shanmukha Karthik

06 Jun 2025 • 5 min read

For instance, in image generation workflows—whether you're creating visuals from text prompts using text-to-image models or transforming existing images through image-to-image models—utility nodes enable you to take your results to the next level. Once your base image is generated, you can chain utility nodes to upscale the resolution for higher quality prints, enhance sharpness and detail for professional applications, or apply other post-processing effects to achieve your desired aesthetic.

This guide provides precise usage recommendations for each Pixelflow utility node, organized by function category. Each node includes its specific purpose, ideal use cases and clear triggers for when to use it.

Utility Nodes for Image Workflows

These nodes handle everything from resolution upscaling and face restoration to content removal and composition adjustments, enabling you to achieve professional-quality results from your AI-generated imagery.

Image Enhancement & Upscaling

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These nodes focus on improving image quality, resolution, and overall visual fidelity. Use them when your generated images need higher resolution, better detail, or quality restoration.

Skin Contrast Upscaler

Purpose: Enhances skin texture and detail while maintaining background quality
Best Used For: Portrait photography, fashion shoots, beauty content, character art.
Use When: Generated portraits lack skin detail or appear too smooth/artificial.

SUPIR Image Restoration

Purpose: Restores damaged or low-quality images to photo-realistic quality
Best Used For: Vintage photo restoration, heavily compressed images, damaged artwork
Use When: Working with degraded source material that needs comprehensive restoration.

Topaz Image Upscale

Purpose: Increases resolution while preserving fine details, sharpness, and textures.
Best Used For: Print preparation, high-resolution displays, detailed artwork.
Use When: Need larger dimensions without quality loss for professional output.

ESRGAN Upscaler

Purpose: General-purpose image upscaling with good detail preservation.
Best Used For: Quick resolution increases & general enhancement.
Use When: Need fast, reliable upscaling without specialized requirements.

Clarity Upscaler

Purpose: High-resolution upscaling with creative enhancement
Best Used For: Artistic images, creative projects, stylized content.
Use When: Artistic images need both size increase and creative enhancement

Face-Specific Processing

These specialized nodes designed to enhance, restore, and perfect facial features in images. Essential for portrait work, character creation, and fixing common AI-generated face issues.

CodeFormer

Purpose: Restores and enhances faces in old photos or AI-generated images.
Best Used For: Historical photos, damaged portraits, fixing AI-generated face artifacts.
Use When: Faces appear blurry, distorted, or lack realistic features.

Face Detailer

Purpose: Enhances facial details, eliminates distortion, upscales face regions.
Best Used For: Portrait refinement, character creation, professional headshots.
Use When: Generated faces lack detail or have minor distortions.

Composition & Layout

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These are tools for modifying image dimensions, aspect ratios, and expanding content beyond original boundaries. Perfect for adapting images to different formats or extending scenes.

Ideogram Reframe

Purpose: Changes image aspect ratio and resolution.
Best Used For: Social media formatting, print sizing, platform-specific requirements.
Use When: Need different aspect ratios for various platforms or print formats.

Segmind Beyond Outpaint

Purpose: Expands image borders with AI-generated content.
Best Used For: Extending compositions, creating panoramic views, fixing cropped images.
Use When: Original composition feels cramped or needs expansion.

Fooocus Outpainting

Purpose: Extends image boundaries with seamless content generation.
Best Used For: Landscape extension & scene expansion.
Use When: Generated image is well-composed but needs more environmental context.

Image Manipulation

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Nodes for adding, removing, or combining visual elements within your images. Use these when you need to modify existing content or create composite images.

Text Overlay

Purpose: Adds customized text elements to images.
Best Used For: Marketing materials, social media posts, informational graphics.
Use When: Need to add branding, captions, or informational text.

Image Superimpose

Purpose: Overlays one image onto another seamlessly.
Best Used For: Compositing, logo placement, watermarking, creative combinations.
Use When: Combining multiple visual elements into single composition

Magic Eraser

Purpose: Removes unwanted objects from images.
Best Used For: Cleaning up compositions, removing distractions, object removal.
Use When: Generated images contain unwanted elements or distractions.

Background Eraser/Removal

Purpose: Isolates subjects by removing backgrounds.
Best Used For: Product photography, portrait isolation, transparent backgrounds.
Use When: Need clean subject isolation for compositing or transparent backgrounds.

Automatic Mask Generation

Purpose: Creates precise masks for targeted editing and inpainting.
Best Used For: Selective editing, object isolation, targeted enhancements.
Use When: Need precise selection of specific areas for targeted processing.

Utility Nodes for Video Workflows

These nodes provide comprehensive video processing solutions including quality improvement and seamless editing.

Video Enhancement & Quality Improvement

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These nodes transform video quality through AI-powered upscaling, enhancement, and artifact reduction. Essential for improving low-resolution footage or preparing content for high-quality displays.

ESRGAN Video Upscaler

Purpose: AI-powered resolution boost with artifact reduction for video content
Best Used For: Quick video upscaling & cost-effective enhancement
Use When: Need reliable upscaling without specialized requirements, working with compressed footage

Topaz Video Upscaler

Purpose: Professional-grade enhancement including denoising, stabilization, and frame rate increase up to 4K/120FPS
Best Used For: Cinema-quality output & professional video production
Use When: Maximum quality is required, working with noisy footage, need frame rate interpolation.

Video Content Manipulation

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Tools for modifying video structure, adding elements, and creating seamless compositions from multiple sources.

Video Loop

Purpose: Creates seamless looping videos for continuous playback
Best Used For: Social media content, background videos, cinemagraphs, animated GIFs
Use When: Content needs to play continuously without visible breaks

Video Captioner

Purpose: Generates accurate, customizable subtitles automatically.
Use When: Need subtitles for accessibility & silent viewing.

Video Stitch

Purpose: Seamlessly combines multiple video clips and integrates audio.
Best Used For: Multi-scene compositions, adding background audio, creating compilations.
Use When: Working with multiple video segments that need seamless integration.

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Some tips for using utility nodes in your Pixeflows:

- Chain utility nodes strategically - start with restoration/upscaling, move to content modification, then finish with detail enhancement.

- Consider your end use - for example social media content needs different processing than print materials.

- Test combinations - some nodes work better together than others depending on your source material.

- Order matters - generally go from structural changes to quality improvements.