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Add Content Browser

The Add Content browser (right sidebar, plus.square.on.square icon) is the primary way to find and load content in Arkestra. It covers shaders, stock media, local files, external inputs, and saved chain presets.

Add Content browser showing generator categories

A category pill at the top of the panel selects which content type is shown. Click the pill to open the picker:

CategoryContents
GeneratorsISF layer/generator shaders — produce pixels from scratch
EffectsISF effect shaders — transform an input texture
FeedbackFeedback loop effects (Feedback Effect kind)
3D DisplacementISF displacement generators for point cloud tracks
VideoStock video footage (Pexels library)
ImageStock photos (Unsplash)
GIFAnimated GIFs (Giphy)
LocalVideo, image, and GIF files from your local folders
ExternalSyphon, Camera, and other live inputs
TextText generator with customizable styles
3D3D scenes and objects
GPU EffectsBuilt-in GPU compute effects
Saved ChainsSaved chain presets (local, community, and from projects)

The available categories adapt to the selected track type — categories that don’t apply to the current track are hidden automatically.

Content type picker dropdown

When a shader category is active, the browser shows:

  • Search field — filters by name or category keyword
  • Source selector — choose between Arkestra shaders, your own shaders (“My Layers” / “My Effects”), community ISF sources, or an online search
  • Category groups — shaders grouped by visual style (Fractal, Blur, Glitch…), collapsed by default with peek thumbnails
  • Click a shader row to select it (highlights it)
  • Double-click → immediately adds it to the current chain
  • “Add” button (appears on hover or selection) → adds the selected shader
  • Drag from the browser into the chain → inserts at the drop position

If you’re logged in to your Arkestra account, the browser shows shaders you’ve created or starred on arkestra.app. They are downloaded on first use and cached locally.

Right-click any shader row → Edit in Studio to open the built-in ISF shader editor. Studio lets you edit the GLSL source, live-preview the result, and publish changes to your account.