Overview
Greyscalegorilla Overscanner resizes your render frame the way Photoshop resizes a canvas. You set a target size, pick an anchor, and Greyscalegorilla Overscanner scales the camera and the render resolution together so the shot you already have stays pixel-identical while the resize reveals more of the scene or trims it. It lives as a tag on the camera and works non-destructively, with a multi-step Revert.
Requirements / Compatibility
Cinema 4D 2023 through 2026, on Mac and Windows.
A camera to attach the tag to, and an active Render Setting.
Works with any render engine. If the camera has a Redshift camera tag with an aperture override turned on, Greyscalegorilla Overscanner writes the Redshift aperture too.
Installation
Greyscalegorilla Overscanner ships through Cargo, Greyscalegorilla's app. You need a Greyscalegorilla or Everything Bundle subscription. Don't have Cargo? Grab it at greyscalegorilla.com/cargo.
Open Cargo and close Cinema 4D if it is running.
Set up the Connector once: click the Connector icon in the lower-left of Cargo, choose Connect Software, pick Cinema 4D, select your version, then click Install Connector. Open Cinema 4D once to activate your license. If you already use the Connector to send assets, skip this step.
Back in Cargo, go to the Tool page and click Install on Greyscalegorilla Overscanner.
Restart Cinema 4D.
Add the tag to a camera: select the camera and choose Greyscalegorilla > Overscanner, or use Tags > Extensions > Greyscalegorilla Tags > Overscanner Tags > Overscanner. The tag name updates to show the current render resolution.
Quick Start
Select a camera and choose Greyscalegorilla > Overscanner. It adds the tag to the selected camera.
In the Attribute Manager, Width and Height seed to your current render resolution.
Type the new Width and Height you want.
Pick an anchor on the 3x3 grid (Center is the default).
Click Apply. The frame resizes around the anchor and your existing composition stays put.
Changed your mind? Click Revert to step back.
Feature Walkthroughs
Resize to an exact resolution (absolute mode)
Leave Relative unchecked. Width and Height are the target render dimensions and start seeded to the current resolution. Type the new numbers, pick an anchor, and click Apply. To keep the current proportions while you type, turn on Lock aspect and edit either field, the other follows.
Add or remove pixels (relative mode)
Check Relative. Now Width and Height are deltas: positive numbers add pixels, negative numbers remove them. For example, with a Right anchor, a Width of +400 adds 400 pixels on the left so the frame grows leftward from the anchored right edge. Lock aspect is off in this mode.
Choose the anchor
The 3x3 grid sets the point the resize grows from. Center splits a change evenly across both sides. An edge or corner anchor holds that side fixed and grows the opposite side. The active anchor highlights in the grid.
Pick how the camera compensates (Method)
On a perspective camera, Method decides what absorbs the resize:
Sensor size scales the film aperture width. This is the default.
Focal length scales the focal length instead.
On a non-perspective camera the choice is greyed out, because Greyscalegorilla Overscanner always scales zoom there.
Step back through changes (Revert)
Each Apply saves a snapshot on the tag. Revert restores the most recent one, and you can keep clicking to walk back through up to 20 changes.
Settings / Parameter Reference
Control | What it does | Default |
Width / Height | Absolute target size, or pixel deltas in Relative mode. Range -16384 to 16384, step 16. | Seeded to current render resolution |
Relative | Switches Width/Height between absolute targets and deltas. | Off |
Lock aspect | Holds the current aspect while typing. Absolute mode only. | Off |
Method | Sensor size (film aperture) or Focal length on perspective cameras. | Sensor size |
Anchor | The fixed point the resize grows from (3x3 grid). | Center |
Apply | Performs the overscan. | n/a |
Revert | Undoes the last overscan from snapshot history. | n/a |
Limits: resolution stays between 32 and 16384 px, aperture between 1 and 500 mm.
Tips
The in-frame pixels are meant to be identical after an overscan. If you only need more room around a shot, this is the safe way to get it.
Use Lock aspect when you are matching a delivery aspect and only care about one dimension.
Revert is multi-step, so it is fine to try a few sizes and walk back.
Troubleshooting
"Tag must sit on a Camera, and a Render Setting must be active." Move the tag onto a camera and make sure a Render Setting is active.
"Resolution below/above limit" or "Aperture out of range." The target pushes past the safe limits (32 to 16384 px, 1 to 500 mm). Choose a smaller change.
It asked about animated values. The aperture or resolution is keyframed. Greyscalegorilla Overscanner overwrites only the current frame and leaves other keys alone. Confirm to continue.
Revert did nothing. There is no history left to step back through.
Framing drifted after several overscans in a row. The film-offset math is exact from a zero starting offset. Repeated overscans on a camera that already has film offset can drift slightly. Reset the film offset or revert and do it in fewer steps.